Cypher's Elegy
by Cypher
Summary: (COMPLETE) From beyond the grave, a mutant reflects upon his life, and the actions that brought about his untimely demise.
1. Prologue

**Cipher's Elegy**

****_By Cypher_

Prologue 

It's funny how things change when you're dead. I never thought of myself as a philosophical guy, yet now I find myself questioning the meaning of life, contemplating the existence of God, and of course: what was my purpose in life? I know it couldn't have been to unleash that great danger on the world. It's possible he died with me. I'm not really sure... 

But I'm getting ahead of myself. For those of you who don't know me, I'm Douglas Ramsey, a mutant. My ability is rather weak. I can innately understand any language after hearing or reading just a few words. I was the only two-year-old who could speak English, Spanish, and some French. 

Apparently having a gift when you're a child is unique among mutants, but at that time, mutants weren't very well known. Even my parents didn't know of them, and assumed my gift for languages was simply that, a gift. My parents. I had strange parents. My father was a translator at the UN, and worked nine months out of the year. I didn't see much of him except in the summer, when my whole family would take a vacation in Canada. Speaking of Canada, that's where my mother was from. She was an aide for the Canadian ambassador, and after I turned four, she went back to work. From then on, nine months out of the year I was in the care of a nanny. 

I didn't mind them working. In fact, my love of silence, of solitude, derive directly from their lack of presence. And there were other perks, usually in the form of gifts, but from time to time something special would happen. Like when I turned seven. My parents had missed my birthday, but a month later I went to the Smithsonian, and they spent an entire day with me. It was times like that I knew that, despite their absence, their work, they loved me. 

Their absence also allowed me to make friends with kids they wouldn't approve of. One special friend was Jonah. He was six years older than me, got in all sorts of trouble, and would always act without inhibitions. He also watched over me like an older brother. He made some of the school years bearable. If it weren't for him, I might not have ever realized who I was. 

Jonah was, I learned later on, an albino. He had skin so pale one could mistake it with milk. He also had one unusual feature that stood him out from others: his eyes. I had never met anyone with ruby eyes before, but Jonah had them. One day I finally asked him about his eyes, when I was ten, I believe. He told me he had them because of his gift. It was then he told me that I was a mutant. 

I couldn't believe it, but he explained that he was a mutant, and I was like him. His eye color barely even described his power, just acted as a way to separate him from humans. His true power was far more astonishing: he could turn invisible. I had nearly passed out when he made himself vanish. I thought I had just dreamed him up, or that he was a ghost. He caught me, though, and explained how being a mutant didn't have to be a curse, especially with a gift as hidden as mine. 

And so we bonded further. Jonah had mastered his power long ago, and promised to help me master mine. Before that even started, though, he explained to me what a mutant was, the science behind it. It was difficult for a kid like me to fathom, but somehow I was able to grasp the concept he was explaining. From there he taught me how to not only hide my power, but to manipulate it to my advantage and reach my full potential with it. He once told me that languages were the key. If I could think of everything in terms of language, my powers would do the rest. 

He was right, too. Math and science, two subjects I had never done well in, suddenly became easy. As long as I thought of mathematical equations as a form of grammar and biology as a language to explain life, my powers seemed to adjust accordingly and help me understand concepts far more easily. It was amazing. Jonah even taught me computer programming. After typing in just three lines of code, I had deciphered every possible combination for programming. It was exhilarating, and when I told Jonah, he smiled and rubbed my head, giving me my own nickname. Thus, Cipher was born. 

What was different about Cipher, what did he have that Douglas didn't? Douglas had always been shy, unable to relate to others due to his gift. He was always the odd man out and lacked confidence to speak his mind. Cipher, though, he had some of Jonah in him. Cipher had enough confidence to speak up, to talk to the students he had avoided before, to face up to his fears. After Cipher had been released, I finally began to integrate with society. I finally began forming friendships where none had existed before. For the first time in my life, school was more than just a place to learn; it was a place to meet with friends, to have fun. And I had Jonah to thank. 

Jonah still looked out for me, but he began to get busy, and we started to drift apart. After I turned fifteen, I said my usual good-bye to Jonah before I left for the summer. He gave me this...sad smile. I didn't understand why, but I brushed it off, figuring he'd had a bad day. I should've realized what it was. He was twenty-one, and ready to go to graduate school. But I didn't think about that. I just went to our house in Canada. 

We had a lake near the house, and one day after I had come back from swimming there, my mother handed me a letter from Jonah. Immediately I felt fear. Jonah never wrote while I was away. It was our time to spend with our families. I practically ripped it open. What if he was in an accident, or sick, or his mutant powers had injured him somehow. I had to know. It wasn't any of those, though. He was just writing to let me know he'd be leaving for college, and that I'd be in his thoughts. I was like the brother he never had, and he had to leave, to grow up. He was sure I'd be alright. He had taught me enough to survive, and was confident I would succeed in life. 

I didn't know about my life, but at that moment, I lost most of my confidence, and was devastated that he was leaving. The rest of that summer I was in a deep depression. My parents tried to figure out what was wrong, what they could do to make it better. I told them they couldn't. They didn't understand that Jonah wasn't just my friend, he was family, and he was leaving me, possibly forever. In the end, though, I realized that Jonah wouldn't like me as I was, and I strived to do as he wished, be successful, confident, even mature. It was that attitude that led me to decide to tell my parents that I was a mutant. 

I wasn't too worried about their reactions. Canada, unlike other countries that had begun to realize mutants existed, had begun cataloguing any volunteers that stepped forward. They were allowed to live their lives, and while they might've been under surveillance, nothing negative had happened. In fact, the Canadian government was trying to pass a Mutant's Rights Act. They wanted to make their country a safe haven for mutants. I figured I would remain in Canada and finish my schooling there, seeing my parents three months out of the year as usual. 

I never got the chance to tell my parents, though. The day before I was going to, we had a visitor. He arrived in a jet, and got around in a wheelchair. He was bald, but his eyes held a confidence and friendliness I had only seen in Jonah. He was the second person to change my life. I'll never forget his voice, or the first time I ever heard him speak. 

_"Hello. My name is Professor Charles Xavier. I was wondering if I could speak to you about your son Douglas, and his...gift."_

Those were the words that truly changed my life, some would even argue that they sealed my fate. 

~*()*~ 

~*()*~ 

~*()*~ 

Author's Prattle: Well, here we go, I FINALLY got off my butt and started writing my Evo fics (yes, I have others besides this one on the way). I'm sorry all I have ready is the Prologue, but with luck I'll have the first chapter out by next week. As for further chapters and the other fics, I can't give any definite time just yet. When I get back in school (and write to avoid boredom), they'll come out more steadily. 

For those of you who don't know me, I'm Cypher (just look at the 'by' line). This is my first dabble in the cartoon genre (I've done anime and television, still am writing in those, too). I've been writing for a few years, and I've chatted with some of you to bounce off ideas of (thanks). I've found that most people prefer these "Prattles" rather than disclaimers and notes at the beginning. So if you ever have questions about anything you read, just check down here. 

Disclaimers. I put disclaimers down here too. I do not own X-Men Evolution. I'm not sure of the exact parties, but Marvel is definitely one of them. For those of you unfamiliar with the VERY extensive Marvel universe, Cipher belongs to them as well (though I'm altering his life and times for this fic). Jonah DOES belong to me, however. 

Hmm...I believe that's it for this. If you want to learn more about me or my fics, just check out my profile page. Otherwise, thank you for reading, and reviews are always welcome! 


	2. Arrival

**Cipher's Elegy**

_By Cypher_

__Chapter One: Arrival 

It was a beautiful day at the Xavier Institute for the Gifted. The sun was out, the grass was green, and there was just the slightest breeze that helped keep the grounds cool and pleasant. Some mutants, such as Jean Grey, opted to read in the shade of one of the many trees on the property. Others, such as Bobby Drake, Kitty Pryde, and others had started a free-for-all football game. And some mutants, like Rouge and Ororo, had decided to just relax in a bathing suit, getting the last bit of their summer tan before summer vanished completely. 

The instructors of the Institute, namely Hank McCoy, was pseudo-coaching the football game, while also trying not to cave in to the urge to play with them. He understood what the kids were going through: the school year was going to begin in just a few days, and they were getting in the last bit of summer recreation before they were bogged down with school work. 

The other instructor, and some would argue baby-sitter, was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, watching everyone with his perpetual scowl. The Professor had instructed him, Logan, to help Scott Summers in becoming a stronger leader, as well as watching over the mansion while he was away. The last thing they wanted was a repeat of the last time Scott was placed in charge: him being stranded miles away while the others threw a party. Fortunately, no one seemed to have a party on their mind. However, in this particular instance, having Scott nearby was a severe annoyance. 

"Why can't it be one of your rooms?" 

Mainly because a certain blue-furred elf-eared little mutant had been neurotic since the Professor had left. Logan growled none too gently. 

Scott glanced at the feral mutant and moved a little farther away, just out of arm's reach. "Kurt, it's not like it was an easy choice. Besides, most of the new mutants have to share a room." 

"But why do I have to give up my privacy? Why not Spyke? He was the last guy to join the X-Men." Kurt's holographic blue eyes skimmed the field behind him, where Spyke had just tackled Rahne, only to yelp as she transformed into her canine form and slipped out of his grasp. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind a roommate." 

"The Professor made his decision mainly, I think, due to your ethnicity." 

Kurt's head snapped back and his tail swished back and forth. "My ethnicity?" 

Scott shrugged and put his hands in his pockets. "All I understood was that the Professor thought the new mutant would like someone who could speak another language. Since you're the only one fluent in German and English..." 

"And what if the new mutant doesn't like me, huh? What if we hate each other from the start?" 

Scott sighed and looked up to the sky. "Your duty is to not hate him. You're one of the older students and have to set an example. More students are going to be coming in, and we have to make them feel welcome." 

Kurt crossed his arms and tapped his foot against the ground. "Then give up your room. I rather like my privacy. And in case you've forgotten," he deactivated his holo-imager momentarily, "most people are afraid of my original form. I doubt he'll want to sleep with a mutant who looks like a demon, especially if he's religious." 

"Actually, he's not." Professor Xavier rolled his wheelchair between Scott and Kurt and steepled his hands together. "He's more shy than anything, and Kurt, I didn't think you would mind this much." 

"Well, I--that is--it's just--" 

Xavier held up his hand. "It's alright, you're welcome to your opinion. However," he glanced back at the steps of the institute, as the new mutant stepped outside, "he will still be staying with you, and I would like you to make him feel welcome. I think you'll find he's more pleasant than you think." 

Kurt sighed as his body slumped. "Ja, Professor." 

Meanwhile, Hank McCoy was looking over the new student that had just arrived. _He's going to be turning more than a few heads, both here and at the high school._ Indeed, this mutant, _Douglas Ramsey, I believe the Professor said,_ was somewhat lanky, but had enough muscles to show he worked out at least a little bit, giving him a handsome physique that even, he noted, Jean Grey was eyeing. He was fairly tall, and his head was adorned with short blond hair, which he'd left in a slightly chaotic state, having bits of it sticking out, giving him a rugged look. 

Hank felt himself being looked over, and locked eyes with Douglas. He had deep blue eyes, darker than he had seen in any student before. It complimented his hair, not to mention his fair skin tone, quite nicely. _Guess I should introduce myself._ Avoiding Bobby as he jumped up to catch the ball, Hank worked his way over and stood before the new student. He wasn't surprised when Douglas took a step back. "Hello. Welcome to the Xavier Institute." 

Douglas blinked. "Uh..." 

Hank extended his hand, such as it was. "I'm Hank McCoy, one of the instructors here." 

Douglas glanced from Hank's hand to Hank's face. Swallowing, he shook it. "N-nice to meet you." 

"I assure you, I don't bite." 

Douglas blinked again, then cracked a small smile. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be reacting like this. It's just, well," he eyed Hank's hairy body, "I didn't know there were mutants with such...extreme physical alterations." 

"You'll find there are all sorts of mutants here." 

"Mr. McCoy, look out!" 

Hank looked up in time to see Kitty phase right through him and crash into Douglas. He closed his eyes. _Great first impression._

Douglas groaned and pushed himself up onto his elbows. 

"Eh heh, like, sorry about that." Kitty sat up and looked over Douglas. "Oh! You're the new guy." 

Douglas shook his head and rotated his arm. "Damn, that smarted." He looked up to finally see who had crashed into him, only to stare at the girl on top of him. 

"Hey Kitty! What's the hold up?" 

Kitty stood and smiled at Douglas. "Again, sorry. I'll meet with you later, kay?" She turned and tossed the ball to Spyke, jogging back to the field. 

Douglas laid there for a few minutes, just staring after her. 

"Are you alright?" 

Douglas snapped out of his revere and nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." He pushed himself off the ground and dusted himself off. "Who...was that?" 

"Kitty Pryde, also known as Shadowcat around here." Hank stepped aside as Xavier came forward. 

Douglas furrowed his brow a moment. "Oh, you mean like a code name?" 

"Yes, exactly." The Professor looked over his shoulder. 

Scott grumbled as he pushed on Kurt's back. "Come on, Kurt. Get moving." 

Kurt shoved back. "No way. I don't want to meet him." 

"You're going to whether you want to or not." 

Kurt growled and teleported into a nearby tree. 

Scott, having lost his counterweight, slammed into the ground. He sputtered and glared around the yard. _When I get my hands on him-_

__"Scott, have you met our latest addition?" Xavier gave the teenager a warning look. 

Scott stood and looked at the grass stains on his shirt. _Great. _He strode over and nodded at Douglas. "Scott Summers. I'm also called-" 

"Cyclops. The Professor told me about you." Douglas bowed his head momentarily. "Nice to meet you." 

"Ditto. I was trying to find your roommate, but he seems to have...vanished." 

Douglas shrugged. "That's alright. I'm sure me intruding into his life is a problem. Lord knows this is going to be awkward for me." He spotted a man scowling and leaning against the wall. "Who's he?" 

"That's Logan." 

"Wolverine? The one you warned me to stay away from?" Douglas rubbed his wrist. 

Xavier bobbed his head once. "For the first few training sessions, yes. He has a temper, but he does care for the students." 

Douglas, intimidated by the glare Logan was giving, turned around and looked over the field, where most of the mutants were playing. His gaze lingered on Kitty a little longer than the others, before he looked at the mansion. 

Scott furrowed his brow and crossed his arms. "Is he okay, Professor?" 

Xavier folded his hands together and nodded. "It's just a lot to adjust to." He closed his eyes momentarily, briefly attempting to pick up any thoughts or emotions from the new mutant. _Odd. He can't be blocking me, but I can't sense him..._ He opened his eyes. "Well, why don't you show him to his room. Kurt's there, so perhaps you can finally introduce them." 

Scott rolled his eyes, not that anyone could see behind his ruby glasses. "I doubt it. Kurt's pretty upset about sharing his room." Nonetheless, he strolled over to Douglas and put an arm around his shoulder. "So, why don't we go see if your room's ready..." 

~*()*~ 

Kurt Wagner, also known as Nightcrawler, was not a happy mutant. Normally he wasn't very happy due to the fact that his appearance made him an outcast among humans and mutants alike. However, even though his demonic appearance upset him, he could always retreat to the solitude of his room, where he could drop all facades and be himself. He could cry, glare, pout, yell, he once even smashed his mirror. No one knew what hells he had been through, what torments still haunted him. 

No one, except the Professor. Xavier had helped Kurt escape the prosecutions of his homeland, had given him the inducer and a chance at normal life. Above that, though, he gave Kurt privacy. Despite his seemingly outgoing personality, Kurt was a very private person. The Professor knew that, and had given him a room of his own, one of the largest in the dorms. 

Yet now, his large room was slightly smaller as new furniture had been included. Another bed and a dresser, to be precise. They were on the same wall as the door, and faced the balcony window. What was even worse, though, were the bags sitting on top of the bed, waiting to be unpacked. Kurt kept his arms crossed and glared at the luggage, his golden eyes, and thus his holographic eyes, conveying a dislike so intense a pyrokinetic mutant would've caused the bags to spontaneously combust. 

_The professor KNOWS I don't want to share my room. Why in Gott would he give me a roommate?_ Forgetting his hologram was active, his tail lashed away from his body and wrapped around the anchor of the chandelier, squeezing it enough to elicit a creak. _What I do in this room is nobody's business but my own. Even if he isn't scared by my appearance, he'll laugh at me. How I groom, how I dress, how I do everything! He'll be worse than Kitty. _So concentrated on his internal anger, Kurt failed to pick up the voices growing louder from outside his room. 

"I'm sure you'll find it's pretty comfortable. Kurt's got the biggest room here, so you should have plenty of space." 

"You didn't have to. I wouldn't have minded sharing with someone who...I don't know...liked me?" 

A nervous laugh littered the air. "Kurt? He likes everyone. He's just...nervous about meeting you." 

Douglas opened the door, though his head was facing the hall. "From the way you described him, he's not nervous about anything." He turned on the light and walked into the room. "Jesus Christ!" 

Scott pushed the door open and nearly tripped over Douglas in his haste. "What? What's--" He took in the sight of the teenager hanging from the chandelier. Actually, it looked like two sneakers were resting on the supports for the lights. The only oddity was the teen was standing upside down. He thought he saw a flicker of a blue spade, but shrugged it off. "Oh, that's just Kurt." 

Douglas stared at Scott. "I thought you said he could teleport! How is it he's not falling from that thing and cracking his head open?" 

Scott opened his mouth, then shut it. He knew beneath the hologram that two didigit feet were securely hanging onto the metal frame, and undoubtedly that agile tail was wrapped around something for support. He also knew that it was Kurt's place to reveal his true form, not his. "He, um," 

Douglas frowned at his hesitation. "What?" 

"If he wants to know the truth, let him know the truth." 

The heads of Scott and Douglas snapped up to the upside-down teen who, up until that moment, had remained unmoving. Then, without any hesitation, Kurt pulled his watch off and tossed it on his bed. He felt the familiar buzz of the hologram's energy fritz out and crossed his arms again. _If I can't convince Herr Professor, maybe he'll insist on another room when he realizes he's staying with a demon._ Kurt hated using his appearance for selfish reasons, but he really didn't want anyone else around when he brushed himself for comfort, or when he woke up yelling from nightmares. 

As he searched the teen's face, though, Kurt's brow furrowed. The blue eyes had widened slightly and he had stiffened, but no other reaction was forthcoming. No scream, no curse, not even a whispered 'my Gott.' Nothing. _Why isn't he scared?_

"This...is...so...cool!" Douglas hurried forward and started examining Kurt's body. 

Kurt, surprised by the exclamation, forgot his footing and fell to the floor in a heap, letting out a disgruntled 'oomph.' 

Douglas stepped back, but continued to circle him. "Didigit podiatric balancing mutation, tridigit metacarpus, though technically it's no longer metacarpus then, is it? And counterbalance appendage that, does it have extra sensitive nerves?" He picked up Kurt's tail and explored the fur with his fingers. "Amazing..." 

Kurt pushed himself up and pulled his tail away from the prodding fingers. _What the-_

Scott, though surprised, was also quite amused at the reaction of the new mutant, and didn't bother trying to hide the smirk from his face. "Looks like you've got a new admirer, Kurt." 

"Oh shut up." Kurt lashed his tail and glared over his shoulder at his supposed friend. He wasn't sure what was worse. A person being afraid of him, or being fascinated by him. 

Douglas, seeming to catch on that Kurt didn't like being examined like a lab animal, turned a light shade of red and hunched his shoulders. "Sorry. It's just...you look great." 

Scott raised an eyebrow. "He looks great?" 

Kurt elbowed him. While it was kinda creepy, he had to admit, it was nice not to scare someone off by his looks. "Why...aren't you afraid?" 

"What? Of a fuzzy demon sans horns?" Douglas chuckled and shook his head. "I've been reading up on ancient cultures for almost a year. If none of their creatures gave me nightmares, living with one that's human isn't gonna frighten me." 

_Living with one that's human? He thinks...I'm human?_ A small grin tugged at the corners of Kurt's mouth. _Maybe...it won't be so bad after all._

"Man, if I ever tell Jonah he's gonna flip his lid." Douglas' smile faltered momentarily, and he remained silent, lost in thought. 

Kurt and Scott exchanged a curious glance with each other, both wondering who this 'Jonah' was. 

"Well...I'll leave you two to get settled, then." Scott backed out of the room and shut the door. 

Shaking himself out of his memory, Douglas rubbed his arm and glanced around the room. "Well...I guess the bed with the bags is mine." 

"Ja. Hope you don't mind." 

Douglas walked over and opened his bag. "I should be saying that to you. I'm guessing you really didn't want me as a roommate." 

Kurt laughed and rubbed the back of his head. "Ja, well, maybe I was being a bit paranoid. Perhaps it won't be so bad." 

"Nein, perhaps not." 

Kurt blinked. Had he just said...nein? He hopped onto his bed and watched Douglas put his clothes away. "You speak German?" 

Douglas chuckled and set a book on top of his dresser. "If you speak a bit more, I will. That's my power. I can learn languages almost immediately." 

_Ahhh. THAT's why the Professor wanted to put you with me. Try and give me a little bit of home._ Kurt's tail flicked playfully back and forth. "So what name have they given you?" 

"Name?" Douglas frowned and tried to make room for his sweater in the bottom drawer. 

"Ja. Code name. I'm Nightcrawler. Scott's Cyclops, the scary man is-" 

"Wolverine." Douglas grunted and slammed the drawer closed. "Finally." He dusted his hands off and opened his second bag. "My code name..." He picked up a photo and stared at it. 

Curious, Kurt went over and glanced at it. It was a picture taken obviously when Douglas was younger. His hair was a bit longer, and more tame, and his eyes were closed. He was laughing. Behind him was a boy Kurt didn't recognize, but assumed was a brother, or perhaps a close friend. Whoever it was, the red eyes clearly stated it was a mutant. _Wonder if the Professor knows about that boy yet._

Douglas set the picture on his dresser, going back to the task at hand. "I was given a code name a while ago by a friend. I think I'll stick with it." 

Kurt tilted his head. "So what is it?" 

Douglas smiled and dropped a couple books on the bed. "Cipher." 

Kurt scratched his head. _Cipher...cipher. Ah, as in decipher. Because he can decipher languages. _"Well, Cipher, I think this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship." 

~*()*~ 

Kitty Pryde laughed as Evan got tripped by Bobby, or rather, a sheet of ice Bobby had laid down on the ground. The game was finally starting to wind down, and she had decided to take a break. Waving off Ray's attempts to get her back into the game, she sat down in the shade by Jean. Brushing the bangs from her sweaty face, she reached back and undid what was left of her ponytail. _What a mess. _Gathering her disheveled hair, she used a sports band to tie a new ponytail in place, keeping the hair off her hot, and probably sun kissed neck. 

As she was doing this, Jean marked her place in her book and rested her arms on its cover, staring at the mansion. "You know..." 

"Hmm?" Kitty stretched out her legs and rested against the tree. "Know what?" 

"I can't sense that new kid." 

Kitty raised her eyebrow and looked at the entrance to the mansion, where Scott was just emerging, an amused look on his face as he strode over and began talking with Wolverine. "The cute blond?" 

It was Jean's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Cute?" 

"Like, come on. You had to admit he was cute." And having landed on him, Kitty knew first hand just how cute he was. The short blond hair, the azure eyes, and his body. He wasn't big and full of muscles like Logan, but he wasn't puny-looking like Kurt, either. 

"He has arms that could crush or cradle you?" Jean smirked. "You certainly have a high opinion of him." 

Kitty blushed. She had forgotten that while Jean wouldn't scan her, she could still pick up broadcast thoughts. Judging by the glance the Professor had given her, he picked it up as well. "Well, he's just...I...he's, like, completely cute. And he feels good, okay?" 

"So why don't you introduce yourself?" 

"Are you, like, out of your mind? I landed on him. He probably thinks I'm, like, the biggest jerk here. I bet he gets along better with Kurt than me." She ran a hand through her hair and pulled out a few pieces of grass. _Gross. I totally need a shower._

"According to Scott's thoughts, he loves Nightcrawler. Thinks he looks cool." Jean drummed her fingers against her book. 

"Ewww. I mean, Kurt's kinda cool, but I mean, how could he think it looks cool?" _Though he is soft..._

__"To each their own." Jean turned to face the younger mutant. "Not everyone is frightened by his looks." 

"I don't see how they can't be at first. He still creeps me out sometimes." Kitty noticed her nails. _It's gonna take a lot of work to get the dirt out this time._

"Yes, I know. Just try not to do that with any other new mutants that arrive, including this one." 

Kitty rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I know." She thought for a moment. "What's his name, anyway?" 

"Douglas Ramsey." 

"Douglas...wonder if he'd mind if I like, called him Doug." 

"Better ask him first." Jean turned back to her book and flipped to the page she was on before. 

Kitty nodded and glanced towards the side of the house Kurt's room was on. _I wonder if he, like, doesn't hold a grudge. He is pretty cute, and there's this movie I want to see this weekend..._

~*()*~ 

~*()*~ 

~*()*~ 

Author's Prattle: Well, here's chapter one. I know, pretty short, but I do what I can. For those of you wondering, no, Cipher is NOT me, though are names are similar. I created my name long after I knew of Cipher for completely different reasons. Besides, I can't speak foreign languages worth squat. Any who, yes, I switched perspectives. The Prologue was the only chapter that was going to be first-person. Sorry if that threw you off-kilter. 

Cipher's first day at the institute. For those wondering why he reacted fearful of Beast and not Nightcrawler, Beast was like something at a zoo, whereas Nightcrawler was like a mythical being. Considering Cipher's hobby (which I'll delve into later), Nightcrawler's form is 'cooler' than Beast's, and not nearly as scary. I would like to remind you all that these are my own versions of the Evo characters, so they're not perfect representations of each other. 

As for Cipher's little excitement, I made up stuff off the top of my head (hey, I'm a GENETICS major. I don't have to take anatomy, thank heavens). Podiatry is, of course, referring to feet, and metacarpus refers to the five-digit hand (which is why Douglas questions whether it's still a metacarpus). Just a very, VERY tiny vocab lesson. 

Disclaimers. I don't own Cipher or any of the Evo characters. They all belong to Marvel and other companies. I'm just using them in a creative exercise to flex my writing muscles. 

As always, hope you enjoyed the chapter, and reviews are welcome! 


	3. First Morning

**Cipher's Elegy**

_By Cypher_

Chapter Two: First Morning 

"KURT!" 

"Damnit, Nightcrawler!" 

"You fuzzy little son of a-" 

"I'm gonna skin you for a rug!"  
Douglas groaned and pulled a pillow over his head, trying to muffle the crashes and screams plaguing the institute. At dinner the night before he had overheard some of the, as Scott had put it, New Mutants warning him of Kurt's wake-up drills. Being warned, Douglas set up his own little deal. Being a night owl, Douglas agreed to turn off his light at a reasonable hour, which according to Kurt was before midnight, in exchange for being left out of Kurt's morning antics. 

"NIGHTCRAWLER!" 

Unfortunately, Douglas had failed to factor in the noise Kurt's morning routine would cause. Throwing a bleary glare at his alarm clock, he grumbled. _Six. Damn it. I'm never going to get back to sleep at this hour._ Growling, he threw his pillow off his bed and sat up, rubbing his eyes. _Note to self, buy ear plugs._

A flash of light and the smell of sulfur alerted him to the fact that his roommate was hiding momentarily in their room. _Good morning._ 

_You could've warned me you made so much noise._ He liked Kurt, but it was way too early for anyone to have a smile that big on their face. Throwing back the covers, Douglas grabbed his robe. While at home he could wander in his green boxers and white tank top, he was pretty sure here they required students to be a little more discreet. _Why do you do this every morning?_ 

_Gets them up on time. Besides, it's fun!_ Kurt's tail swung lazily behind him as he grinned like a Cheshire cat. _You know, you could join me on a prank._ 

_And get my ass kicked by those guys? No thanks._ Snatching his toiletries from the dresser, he tied his robe shut and headed for the door. _I'm heading for the shower. Could you...?_ 

_Distract them? No problem._ In another flash of light, the blue mutant was gone. 

Sighing, Douglas opened his door and stepped out into the hall, heading for the shared bathroom. A stream of curses in what he now recognized as Logan's voice reached his ears. _That could be more than he could handle._

Giving in to a yawn, he failed to notice a certain chocolate haired girl exit through the bathroom door. With a small grunt from both parties, the two teenage mutants went down. 

"I'm, like, so sorry." 

Douglas' heart beat a little faster as he heard the voice. The night before he had been swamped by most of the New Mutants that he hadn't had a chance to talk with the one named Kitty Pryde. A nervous laugh escaped his throat. "We, ah, have to stop meeting like this." Rubbing the back of his head, he got up and offered a hand to the girl. 

Kitty smiled and took it, using the leverage to pull herself up. "Yeah." She could feel her cheeks flush lightly under his gaze. _Go ahead, talk to him._ "So, um, I'm Kitty." 

"Yeah, I know." Douglas rubbed his arm. "I'm Douglas." He focused on a niche in the wood. 

"I know, too." Kitty brushed her hair back and stared at a stain in the floor that was of sudden interest. 

Both teenagers stood there in nervous silence, each just glancing at each other from the corners of their eyes, but studiously avoiding directly looking at the other. Kitty's cheeks had yet to return to their normal color, and Douglas' ears were a distinct red. 

Kitty finally broke the silence. "So, um, are you, like, doing anything this weekend?" She pulled on her ear for a second. 

Douglas shook his head. "Nein--I mean, no." 

"Well, there's this, like, movie I wanted to see, and I was wondering if, like, you wanted to go." She gave him an uncertain smile. 

Douglas, on his part, felt his heart leap into his throat. Sure, since his time with Jonah he had grown more social, but no girl had ever asked him out before. And here, this girl he just met, a girl he would sell every copy of his Ancient Civilizations and World Cultures Encyclopedia set to even get a glance out of, was asking him out. It took all of his control not to hyperventilate on the spot. Noticing her smile begin to fade, he concentrated on getting his voice back and, though he knew his voice cracked, was able to get out a meek, "yes." 

Kitty's smile became a bit more solid. "Great. I'll, like, talk to you about the details later, kay?" 

"O-okay." _Calm down, calm down. If you have a coronary you can't go out with her. _He unsteadily finished his trip to the bathroom door and entered the tiled room. Closing and locking the door, he leaned against the wooden structure and slid down to the ground, trying to get his breathing under control. _She asked me out...a girl, much less a girl I actually like, asked me out. Oh wow...oh God, what am I gonna wear? What'm I gonna say? Oh God...what've I gotten myself into?_

~*()*~ 

Kitty watched Douglas retreat to the bathroom, and struggled, unsuccessfully, to hide her grin. _He looks good in green. Poor guy. He was so nervous he didn't even notice his robe was open. _She walked towards her room, ignoring the pissed Bobby standing watch for a certain blue elf. _I guess no one's ever asked him out before. I haven't seen a reaction like that since, well, since someone asked ME out._ Phasing through her door, she waved at her roommate. 

Rouge, though a victim of Kurt's morning wake up call, usually stopped short of chasing the fuzzy mutant. She did call him every name in the book, and give him withering glares at the breakfast table, but otherwise, she remained in her room, getting dressed. Right now she was tying her shoe, barely glancing at Kitty. "How come you're not chasing the fuzz ball now that you're showered?" 

"Cause I've, like, got better things on my mind." Setting her toiletries down, she looked through the shared closet. "Like planning for my date Saturday." 

That got Rouge's attention. "Date? With who?" 

Kitty grinned and pulled out a pair of jeans. "The new cutie rooming with Kurt. Douglas. Though he's like, totally nervous about it. I think I'm the first girl to ever ask him out. Or he really like, likes me." She held up a pink shirt, then a white one. _Decisions, decisions._

"You're going out with Kurt's roommate? Are you sure that's smart?" Rouge finished with her shoe and sat up, resting her gloved hands on the edge of the mattress. "I mean, with how Kurt feels..." 

"How Kurt feels?" Kitty decided on the pink one and gave Rouge a curious glance. "How he feels about what?" 

_Is she that dense?_ Just about everyone in the institute knew Kurt had feelings for Kitty. Granted, he hid them behind bad jokes and obnoxious flirting, but they were still there. Having absorbed some of his memories and feelings, Rouge knew exactly how Kurt felt about Kitty, and had a pretty good idea as to how he'd react to her going out with Douglas. _But it's not my place to tell her._ "He just..." Rouge searched for the right words, wanting to hint at the truth, but not totally reveal it. 

She didn't get the chance to continue, however, as someone knocked on their door. "Rouge? Kitty? Training session in ten minutes. Wolverine wants to test out Douglas." 

Kitty sighed at Scott's announcement and went back to her closet, searching for her X-Men uniform. "Figures. Poor guy, he just got here and he's, like, gonna be worked to death." 

Rouge rolled her eyes and grabbed her outfit. 

~*()*~ 

Douglas tugged at the fabric on his chest. His uniform, like the other New Mutants', was generic in design. A black turtleneck with two X's encased in a circle of red on the shoulders, a belt with an X for a buckle, and black pants. All in all, he felt like a misplaced Power Ranger. "You guys actually WEAR this out in public?" 

Bobby Drake, the teen who introduced himself as Iceman to Douglas, shrugged and strapped on his boots. "They're comfy, and it's not like you don't have any flexibility or anything. Besides," he grinned as his body, and the clothes he was wearing, turned white as they froze over, "you can customize it to fit your power." 

"Maybe your power." Douglas grunted as he tried to get the boot on. _Damn it to hell! I TOLD the Professor not to buy my shoes! I wear an extra wide!_ "My powers are purely mental. I mean, what do I need training for?" He gave up and grabbed his regular sneakers. 

Bobby crossed his arms. "Ever heard of the Brotherhood?" 

Douglas paused for a minute. He had heard of them, something about there being four guys fighting against the X-Men. With his power, though, Douglas assumed he'd never actually get to meet them, much less fight them in a battle. "Yeah, but come on. What am I gonna do against a guy who can create earthquakes? Or that one that's like the Flash, what's his name?" 

"Quicksilver." Bobby shook his head. "You'll face them at some point. They may be weak now, but when they strike, they'll go after everyone, and that includes you." He uncrossed his arms. 

"Figures. Pick on the bookworm." Finishing with the laces, Douglas stood up and looked himself over. "Okay, I'll give you it IS comfortable." 

"Told ya. Now come on. You don't want to keep Wolverine waiting." Bobby walked towards the Danger Room. 

Douglas quickly followed, not wanting to upset the man he feared the most at the Institute. 

Already inside the Danger Room, Rouge was watching Nightcrawler grumble on the floor. _He shouldn't have tried to wake Logan up._ She had heard from Kitty, _and Lord knows how she found out,_ that Kurt was going to be washing the X-Van as well as participating in an extra training session today. 

Kurt did smile a little as Douglas walked in, though, trying to give the new mutant an encouraging look. "Hey, good luck, ja?" 

"I'm gonna need it." Douglas rubbed his shoulder. "You know, maybe I should ask if we can postpone this. It's not like I'm ready to fight." 

"Naw, you'll do fine. And we'll all be here to cheer you on." Kurt waved around at the assembly of the X-Men and the New Mutants. 

Douglas' cheeks flared when he caught Kitty smiling and waving at him. _Great. I'm gonna look like an idiot in front of the girl that just asked me out._ Feeling, rather than seeing Bobby leave his side, Douglas steeled himself and walked towards the center of the room, where the one instructor that still scared him was waiting. He stopped a few feet away, too intimidated to even look at the man. 

Logan sized up the new kid. _Brains over brawn, kid. That's what I'm here to teach you._ Xavier had instructed Logan to go easy on the recruit due to his limited power, but Logan had a feeling this kid could hold his own if forced to. 

Kitty cupped her hands around her mouth. "Go on, Douglas! Just watch out for his claws!" 

Logan hid the smile that threatened to come out when he noticed Douglas's blush get brighter. _So the kid has a thing for half-pint. _

_Claws? He's got claws too? Oh God, first being asked out, now this. Between a coronary and being hacked to death. And it's not even seven yet._ Douglas rubbed the back of his head. He really had no clue what to do. Sure, he worked out, and Jonah had gotten him enrolled in a couple self-defense courses, but he couldn't take on a full fledged mutant. _Especially one with claws._

"The rules are simple, kid. No dirty hits. This is just to see how rusted your skills are." 

"What skills? I'm a translator, not a fighter." Douglas frowned. He knew he shouldn't have watched that Star Trek marathon before coming here. "I can't take you on." 

"First rule of fightin', kid, don't let the enemy know your weaknesses." Logan crouched slightly and raised his arms. "And how can you charge when you can't see me?" 

"I'd rather not look, okay? And I'm not one to charge. I just...defend myself." Douglas tapped his toe on the metal floor. 

"Charles, are you sure this is the right time?" Ororo watched Douglas, dubbed Cipher, continue to look at the ground. Undoubtedly, as most new recruits were, he was intimidated by Logan. _At least the others had their powers to boost their confidence in the first fight._

"Douglas needs to learn that while his powers aren't offensive, he can still contribute to a fight as well as any X-Men." Xavier glanced at the controls around him, wondering if he should change the scenery to make Douglas more comfortable. _No. The others didn't get that cushion. _He folded his hands together, somewhat wishing he could be down in the Danger Room rather than the observation deck. _He must have some skills, though. He's still managing to block me._ It didn't take a telepath to read how frightened Douglas was at this altercation, however. 

"Just charge me already." Logan was beginning to get impatient. The New Mutants had begun cheering Douglas on, some telling him to just get through it, and others telling him to mop the floor with the instructor. The X-Men, for their part, had remained mostly silent. Nightcrawler had joined in the cheering once or twice, but had been silenced by Scott resting a hand on his shoulder. 

Letting out a heave of a sigh, Douglas accepted his fate and charged forward. Well, charged might be too active a word. He more or less sauntered over, raising his hands in more of a surrendering gesture than an attacking one. _Just get it over with, like they're saying._

__"Don't think you're getting out of it that easy, kid." Logan lunged forward, keeping his claws sheathed but his fist aiming for Douglas' head. 

Self-defense instinct took over, and Douglas ducked and rolled away an instant before Logan landed. Unfortunately, he failed to get up quickly enough and Logan was able to get over and toss him back towards the center of the room. Douglas rolled with his landing and got into a crouch slowly. He could register Logan approaching again, but was pretty sure he couldn't roll out of the way in time to avoid the next blow. Hoping to protect his face, he threw up his arms and clenched his eyes shut. _How the hell am I supposed to fight him? He's bigger, stronger, and he's got powers. Real powers. I'm just a...a...a brainiac._ __

_"I'm just a brainiac and you're a black belt! How am I supposed to defend against you?" Douglas sniffed and wiped his nose. Here he was, thirteen, and he was crying. _

_"Doug, really." Jonah knelt by him and rubbed his head. "Remember your power. You're a translator, but that doesn't just work with books and computers. Think of things as a language and your brain will do the rest for you. Even something as complex as martial arts." His red eyes looked over the slim form. "Come on, let's try it again."_

_"No! I can't do it, Jonah! I just can't! I'm...I'm not like you! I'm not that powerful." Douglas hugged himself and looked down._

_Jonah wrapped his arms around him and pulled him into a hug, soothing the younger boy with a slow rub. "One day, you will be, Doug. You're right, I'm pushing you too hard, too fast. Tomorrow we'll work on...on math. Using your power to work on math. Okay?"_

_"O-okay." Douglas sniffed again._

_"Let's go get some ice cream."_

_Douglas nodded and rubbed his eyes again, the tears finally slowing down._

_"You aren't powerful enough right now, but you will be one day. I promise."_

Douglas' eyes snapped open. _Of course. I'm such an IDIOT!_ At the time, Douglas was too young and his powers were too underdeveloped to pick up fighting as a language. _But now...I'm older, smarter...what am I cowering for? I can do this. I CAN do this!_ He threw his arms aside and ducked again as Wolverine sailed by. 

Unfortunately, the elder mutant was expecting this tactic and snagged Douglas' foot. 

_Shit._

Logan used his weight to counter Douglas' and threw him across the room. "Fight back!" 

Douglas nodded briefly, and he twisted his body to land somewhat on his feet. Somewhat. _GAH! I know I felt something pop that time._ He rubbed his thigh. _Focus. Focus, damn it! _His mind went over all the moves Logan had used, and he stood, moving his feet to keep himself distanced from his instructor. _Think...think...agh! It's not enough information!_ Grinding his teeth, Douglas knew what he had to do, and he hated it. 

Logan blinked as the younger teen suddenly threw himself towards him. His sensitive ears picked up the New Mutants cheering the move, but he drowned out the noise and caught the first fist that came flying. "So, you finally decided to fight back, eh?" 

"Hell yeah." Douglas growled and threw his full body weight into Logan's chest, throwing the elder mutant off balance for a second. _Get him fighting. Close combat is the only way._ He felt Wolverine's hand pass by his head in an attempt to hit him. _I can do this. I can do this! Just focus! Concentrate! _

__Up in the observation deck, Xavier raised his eyebrow. _Interesting move._

"What's he thinking? Attacking Wolverine like that won't help matters." Ororo looked out at the gathered students. The X-Men were obviously surprised by the maneuver, while the New Mutants were pumping their fists in the air and yelling out various hits for Douglas to use. "Professor?" 

"I don't know what he's thinking. However," he noticed a smirk forming on the new mutant's face, "I think we're about to find out." 

_Got you now._ Douglas' mind finally clicked and constructed what could best be described as a martial arts pyramid. From the few moves Wolverine had been using, his mind had extrapolated and expanded derivations that could be formed using similar techniques. In his minds eye, the base of the structure revealed to him some basic techniques. Each level of derivation the techniques got more and more complex, until the peak had a move so utterly complicated and most likely physically impossible that Douglas simply ignored it. He just needed something basic, something to throw this man off kilter. _Jonah, if you could see me now._

As Logan threw another punch, Douglas grabbed his wrist and leaned forward, grinning. "Dahjaj'oh quq jaj daq hegh." 

Logan's face twisted as he tried to comprehend what the new mutant had said. Then, without warning, a knee connected with his gut, followed by a foot hitting his shin. Before he knew it he felt two hands on his arm, flipping him over and slamming him on his back. Letting out a pained growl, he looked up into the panting, red face of Douglas Ramsey. 

Douglas continued breathing hard, gathering back his breath. He let go of Logan's arm and stumbled back, staring. He had been arrogant enough to assume he could show off some skill. However, it was obvious that he had barely harmed the elder mutant. On top of that, his foot was throbbing from where it'd connected with Logan's shin. It also felt like he had pulled something in his shoulder lifting that much weight off the ground. Before he could stop himself, he had fallen down and started swearing in French, Latin, and, according to Kurt's surprised face, German. 

Logan, for his part, got up and walked over. Obviously, he had underestimated the kid, though he could use more work. "You okay, kid?" 

"That hurt! What the hell have you got in that body?! Metal?!" Douglas rubbed his foot, feeling it begin to swell. 

Scott, having walked over after Douglas went down, coughed. "Actually, uh, yeah. Logan's skeleton is made out of adamantium." 

"Adamantium?! You mean I just kicked a man with adamantium shins?! Jesus I'm lucky nothing's broken!" He yelped as Scott touched his shoulder. "He weighs a ton, too! I know I pulled something!" Douglas grumbled and went back to swearing, though this time more softly. 

"Elf, get the translator down to the infirmary. Then get to work." 

Nodding, Kurt touched the back of Douglas' neck and the two of them vanished in a flash of light and black smoke. 

Logan looked at the New Mutants. "As for you, two laps, then hit the showers." With that, the feral mutant left, heading for the observatory.  
Scott shook his head and left with Jean and Evan, muttering about new recruits and showing off. 

Kitty was grinning, resting against the wall. "That was, like, so cool." 

Rouge shrugged. In all honesty, she was surprised at Douglas' last minute assault, but he was still a bit of a wimp. _He's definitely not a fighter. _

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm gonna, like, see if he wants company." Kitty phased through the floor, leaving Rouge on her own. 

Rouge shook her head. "I hope he never has to cover my back..." 

~*()*~ 

~*()*~ 

~*()*~ 

Author's Prattle: First off, words with "_blah_" around them, indicate German. I didn't feel like translating, and since it was a long conversation, it made more sense. Also, what Douglas said to Wolverine was "Today is a good day to die" in Klingon. As he said, he shouldn't have watched that Star Trek Marathon. Okay, I couldn't resist putting it in. Sue me. 

For those purists who are reading, yes I've upgraded Cipher's abilities. Why? Well, if all he could do was translate and communicate with computers, that basically makes him a living translator program from the internet. This does not mean he can learn things immediately. As seen, while he may understand the martial art moves, he can't do them immediately (even the simple ones he pulled muscles). For another example, he could read music, but give him a flute, and he wouldn't be able to play it. I've extrapolated his powers, but not amplified them. 

Yes, that was a flashback of when Cipher was younger. Cute, ne? Also, I hope I conveyed the teenage nervousness of Cipher responding to Kitty's request realistically. Having never been asked out myself, I just had to wing it. Let's see....hmm...oh, Kurt's wake up routine. I know a lot of authors have used it. It seems like something Kurt would do, ne? Sorry if I mimicked someone out there, but you have to admit, it's kinda a common fandom assumption. 

For those of you wondering (cause I know some of you are), this is NOT a self-insert fic. Hardly. Cipher IS a Marvel character. Yes, my penname is similar, but that's where our similarities end. I am not blond, blue-eyed, nor am I good with language (dear lord, if you heard how I butchered French and Latin, not to mention--oh wait, biology is Latin too). 

Disclaimers. Let's see...don't own X-Men Evolution or its characters or settings. I don't own Star Trek, the Klingon language, Power Rangers (sorry for the pun, but you have to admit, the similarities are striking). If there IS an Ancient Civilizations and World Cultures Encyclopedia out there, I don't own that either. I DO own Jonah, but that's it. 

Well, as always, Reviews are welcome, but the main thing is that you enjoyed it! Until next time! 


	4. Plans and Discussions

**Cipher's Elegy**

****_By Cypher_

__Chapter Three: Plans and Discussions 

"Really, it just kinda clicked." Douglas winced as his injured shoulder was rotated. "Couldn't you be a little more gentle?" 

"I'm sorry, Mr. Ramsey, but we have to make sure you didn't dislocate it. Lifting Logan is no easy feat." Hank McCoy pressed his furred fingers against Douglas' shoulder blade, eliciting a hiss from the younger mutant. 

"Still, it was, like, so cool. None of us were expecting that." Kitty stood on the opposite side of the bed from where Hank was working, leaning her elbows on the edge and watching Douglas' face as it kept shifting from smiles to contortions of pain. "Where did you learn that?" 

"I, uh, just did. From Logan." Douglas yelped as Hank's hand slipped, pulling on his shoulder. _Concentrate on Kitty, on the fight, anything but what he's doing--AGH! Jesus, McCoy! _"I kinda thought of his fighting style as a language and..." he waved his good hand. 

Kitty picked up what he meant. "Your powers just took over the rest. Like, cool!" She glanced down at his leg, where an ice pack was resting on his foot. "So, um, do you think he'll be better by Saturday, Mr. McCoy?" 

Hank raised an eyebrow and placed a heating patch on the strained shoulder. "Why? Got a hot date?" 

Douglas immediately looked down, his skin tone taking on a distinct red color. His hand, which had been inching its way towards Kitty's, shrunk back and rested itself on top of the heating patch, as if holding it in place. His left foot, the uninjured one, began rubbing his right calf nervously.  
Kitty herself had turned a shade pinker, but simply laughed and waved her hand. "Yeah, kinda. We're gonna take in a movie." 

Hank chuckled, mainly at Douglas' shy reaction, and removed the ice pack, examining the foot, especially the swollen first and second toes. He gently took them between his fingers and wiggled them. Douglas failed to make eye contact, or even look up from the bed sheet he was intensely staring at, but a small 'ow' worked its way to Hank's ears. 

_I've got to work on his shyness. Big time._ Deciding to take a risk, Kitty reached out and ran a tender hand through Douglas' gold locks. _Even sweaty, they're pretty soft. Wonder if that's true for his lips, too._

The move did not go unnoticed by Douglas, who's breathing, not to mention heart rate, increased dramatically. _Stay calm, stay calm. She's just...reassuring you, like mom likes to do. It's just her fingers in my hair, nothing much. Her gentle, delicate fingers slowly moving along my head, feeling every strand they can and caressing them. They're only searching for the best place to rest and tilt my head up so our moist lips can finally-NO! No no no! Get a hold of yourself! Jesus Christ! Don't let your hormones get the better of you!_ Nonetheless, the image of Kitty kissing him had been firmly planted into his mind. 

Hank ahemed. "Kitty, I believe it would be best if you left Douglas in my care. I want to make sure he didn't pull any tendons in his leg, and to do that I'll need some privacy." _It'd help to calm him down, too. I'd better tell Kurt to give him some tips on how to be relaxed around women._ He glanced over at Kitty, and realized he couldn't do that, not without hurting Kurt's feelings. _Let's amend that to Scott._

Kitty pouted, but let her hand fall from Douglas' head to his shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly. "We'll, like, talk later, okay?"  
"O-okay." Douglas was sure his voice cracked again. _Oh God I'm pathetic._

Kitty smiled, though, and walked off. 

When he was sure she was gone, he fell back against the bed, jostling his shoulder but not really caring. "Thank you." 

"I thought it best, before you had a heart attack." Hank shook his head and replaced the ice pack. "You really like her, don't you?" 

Douglas' gaze settled on the exit of the medical bay. "Yeah, I do..." 

~*()*~ 

Jamie Maddox pushed himself against the shadow of the door frame as the resident doctor, Hank McCoy, wandered out of the infirmary. After he was sure he wasn't spotted, he glanced in the medical room, pleased to see that the new mutant, Douglas, hadn't left. He was still nursing his foot with an ice pack. His shoulder looked better, though, as did his attitude. While Jamie hadn't been able to understand Douglas' words in the Danger Room, their meaning was conveyed loud and clear. Making sure he didn't look too much like a runt, as Roberto sometimes called him, he strolled into the room, calmly approaching the patient's bed. 

Douglas didn't seem to notice. His eyes had clouded over, and his lips were thinned, as if he was concentrating on some difficult problem. Jamie hesitated, torn between shaking the teen out of his revere or just leaving. 

"Hurensohn!" 

Jamie jumped at the blonde's outburst. "Um, sorry. I didn't mean-" He started to back away. 

Douglas' eyes cleared up as he realized that the mutant doctor had left. "Sorry! Sorry...I didn't meant you, I'm sorry. I thought the fuzzy blue Bigfoot was still around, and since they don't like me swearing in English..." He shook his head, running a hand through his hair and squinching his face as he felt how much sweat had accumulated due to his fight. "I was just thinking over the more advanced moves of that martial arts and finally realized what one move Wolverin--er, Logan was going to make. I would've been knock out, and I guess I...called him an SOB out loud." He shrugged sheepishly. "Sorry." 

Jamie stopped his retreat, but didn't make a move to get any closer to the bed. He had thought to come down and talk about something that had been bothering him a long time, something that this new mutant and he had in common, and now he wasn't so sure. "I...you don't mind that I'm here, though? If you want to be alone-" 

Douglas waved his hand. "Bah. I'd be bored without someone to talk to." He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his legs. He still hadn't changed out of his uniform, though Hank had pulled half of his shirt off to get to the wounded shoulder. He had, after Kitty had left, pulled the rest of it off. "So, what's up?" 

Jamie rubbed his wrist, unsure for a moment. "Well, it's um, my powers." 

Douglas blinked, his brow furrowing slightly. 

_For being brilliant, he certainly doesn't pick things up quickly. Everyone else figured it out in a day._ Jamie found a chair nearby and sat on it. "Well, you know whenever I bump into somebody or something, more of me appears, right?" 

Douglas nodded. Unlike Cyclops or Nightcrawler, he and Jamie had code names that basically described what they could do. "That's where the name Multiple comes from, right?" 

"Yes, it's just," Jamie glanced around, almost as if he wasn't sure he should be divulging this information and making sure they weren't being spied on, "everyone thinks it's useless. And since you have a basically useless power too..." he trailed off, though what he wanted was implied. 

"You want me to teach you how to use your powers in a cool way, like what I did in the Danger Room?" Douglas nearly laughed when Jamie nodded his head, the downcast look on the younger mutant's face the only thing stopping him. "I don't think your powers are useless. Hell, they're more productive than mine." 

"But you actually, actually took on Wolverine! Yours makes you smarter and able to outwit people in battle." Jamie pulled his chair forward so he could rest his arms on Douglas' bed. 

Douglas did laugh at that. "Outwitting people in battle doesn't necessarily come from being a genius. Anyone can do it. My powers just taught me how I might, key word is might, be able to get a blow or two in against Wolverine." He patted Jamie's hand, gently, not wanting to have to deal with two Jamies. "If it came down to just him versus me, my powers would do squat. He's faster, lived longer, shit, he could dice me up before I even realized the fight had started. Yours, on the other hand," he pulled his arm back and moved his shoulder, feeling the heat increase the blood flow. _Keep it moving, it'll help the muscles not go stiff..._ "Yours could allow you to outnumber him infinity to one. You could overpower him in sheer numbers." He tilted his head. "Hasn't anyone told you to use your mutation at its fullest? To just...screw rules and inhibitions and let loose?" 

Jamie shook his head, though Douglas caught a spark in his eyes. _Poor kid. Hasn't anyone told him just how great his powers are? I'd trade him in a second. Being all brainy isn't as fun as they say._

"Everyone just treats my power like a nuisance or something. And worse, they treat me, no matter how many there are, like a kid." Jamie rubbed his eyes, not wanting to appear weak in front of the new comer. Yet, somehow he had the feeling that this Douglas understood on some level what he was going through. _He's not saying my power's useless...but I couldn't beat Wolverine. All I did was annoy him. And the other mutants. _When Jamie got no response from the injured teen, he looked up. Douglas had rested his chin on a fist and was staring at the wall. _He's started thinking again. I guess I bored him..._ He was about to stand, when Douglas' hand, the unoccupied one, reached out and snagged his wrist. Jamie paused, unsure what the gesture meant. Douglas was obviously back to his little world, but he didn't want Jamie to go? That wasn't very fair. 

"Have you ever..." Douglas trailed off, catching Jamie's attention once more. "Have you ever...um...hold on..." His nose scrunched up. Jamie recognized that look. He did it a lot himself, whenever he was trying to put something into words. Deciding that mayhaps staying could prove valuable, he returned to his seat, his azure orbs gazing at the older face, watching it move as thoughts came together. 

"Have you ever had someone train you, seriously take you aside and just train you with your powers?" A piercing blue gaze from Douglas met with Jamie's eyes, and Jamie, his mouth already open with an affirmative answer rolling on his tongue, paused. He thought, seriously thought through all his time at the institute. 

_Kurt's helped me a lot, but mostly just done big brother stuff, like play and help me with my schoolwork. I don't think he's ever really...tried to train with me. The other X-Men don't really notice me, and the others..._ Jamie blinked, realizing that through all his memories, while he was trained with the group, he was always shunted to the side, given the least amount of time because he was too young, or he didn't have enough control. Not once had someone taken him aside and even tried to teach him individually. "No." 

Douglas released Jamie's wrist, though his brow was still furrowed. Jamie had choked out an answer, really choked, but it was unintelligible, even for him. "Huh?" 

"No, I...I don't think anyone has." Jamie frowned. How could he have missed something so obvious. _All because I'm younger. I just know it!_

"Would you like me to try?" Douglas smiled a little. He hadn't mentioned to Jamie that grabbing his wrist had produced a bit of pain in his shoulder, and he was currently cursing in, of all languages, Latin, in his head to try and keep the smile on his face. "I always had my powers, kinda like you, but someone came around and taught me how to use them, control them. Without him I doubt I would've even landed a single blow to Wolverine today." 

Jamie's eyes widened. He had come seeking some help, maybe a few pointers on how to control powers. He didn't expect this new comer to volunteer time to spend with him, to become, for all intents and purposes, a personal trainer. It was great! _No wonder Kurt likes him! He's like...like the other half of an older brother, the one half willing to help me with things the polite, fun-loving half won't touch! _He filed a few jokes he had heard earlier, but didn't understand, to ask Douglas about. That and sex. He had heard of it, but didn't really quite know what it was either. Kurt had turned an odd shade of purple when he asked, and Kitty had fallen THROUGH the wall laughing at Kurt's expression. "That'd be wonderful! You mean it?" 

Douglas blinked. "Of course I mean it. I wouldn't say it if I didn't." His smile grew slightly, though he winced. The pain killers Doc McCoy had given him were wearing off. "When I'm better," he amended. "Speaking of which, could you find the doctor? I could use some Advil or something." 

Jamie nodded and was off so fast that for a moment, Douglas wondered if Kurt had teleported him away. _Well, Jonah, I'm gonna try and continue doing what you started. Wish me luck. And one hell of a pain killing drug._

~*()*~ 

Hank McCoy smiled as Bobby Drake ran by, followed shortly by a pissed, and soggy, blue elf. _It was only a matter of time before those two turned on each other._ They had sometimes joined up and pulled pranks together, but one could only attack the same people so many times. And with the newest addition to their team injured..._ I wouldn't want to be Bobby when Kurt catches him._ He turned the handle and wandered into the study, where the other staff, as well as Scott Summers, had been waiting for him. "Sorry I'm late." 

"That's quite alright, Hank. Please." Xavier extended his hand towards the couch Ororo was sitting on. "As we were saying, Douglas displays quite a bit of potential. Assuming he's given the right teachers." He shot a quick glance at Scott and Ororo. "I'm afraid that with his powers, he'll have to be taught by Logan. Unfortunately, this means he won't be able to bond with the others and form a sense of teamwork. If anyone has any suggestions..." 

Logan grunted and crossed his arms, remaining in his potion against the wall. "Kid needs to work on his strength and flexibility before I can really teach him anything. Perhaps some gym sessions with the Elf would help." 

Scott cleared his throat. "I suppose I could take him with Evan and I to the gym, teach him how to lift some weights. That's, what, three X-Men he'll be bonding with then?" 

"I was under the impression," Hank glanced around, making sure no one would interrupt, "that he would be joining the New Mutants. If that's the case, it might be prudent to include him in their workouts." 

"We've already done that, but on some training exercises, he won't be able to do anything." Ororo ran a hand through her hair, feeling the edges for a moment. "Destroying oncoming attacks is out of his league. The best he can do is dodge, which, unfortunately, is only a part of the exercises we use." 

"He seems to have more control over his powers than the New Mutants, anyway." Xavier rolled his wheelchair closer to the window and stared outside, watching Rahne take a nap in her canine form. "Scott, you mentioned someone named Jonah?" 

"Yeah." Scott stuck his hands in his pockets. "Kurt said the guy looked like a mutant." 

"Perhaps it would be prudent to find out more about him. In the meantime," Xavier turned around and faced his faculty once more, "I would like you to keep me apprised of how he's fairing, his attitude. Make sure he's fitting in." 

Scott frowned. _Normally the Professor just does quick scans. I don't think he's asked us to keep a close watch on a new student before._ "Why can't you just read him, Professor? Like you do with all the others?" 

Xavier studied Scott, contemplating telling the younger student. "I suppose since you'll be working together, you should know. Douglas appears to have some sort of...block in his mind. Every time I try to enter, there's a wall keeping me out, even for quick scans. I'm sure he's not doing it on purpose." 

Scott's frown deepened. _Then how do we know he's not a spy from Mystique or something? _He noticed the teachers giving him an impatient look. _Right. I've been dismissed._ Rubbing his chin, he let himself out and headed for Jean's room. _The Professor wouldn't bring someone he knew worked for Mystique, but still..._

"You're sure he's not from Magneto, Chuck? Someone who can't be read would be an excellent spy for him." Logan glanced at the door. He knew the team leader that just left would be thinking the same thing. 

"I'm positive of that. Neither parent was aware of Magneto, and my time with the boy seemed to indicate he hadn't been approached, either." 

"It could all be a rouse, though." Ororo also crossed her arms. "He's able to block you. How could he not do that without training?" 

Hank rubbed his head. _Jonah, perhaps? If he's a psychic mutant, that might explain the block._ That didn't seem to fit, though. His initial scan by the Professor would've picked that up. _Then again, Douglas' mind is unique. Just as Xavier's mind works differently for his telepathy, maybe Douglas' is wired differently for his translation skills._ He blinked, then smiled. _I think a CAT scan is in order for our young mutant._

"Hank? Care to fill us in on why you're smiling?" Xavier could sense a tingle of something in the blue-furred mutant's mind, something that suggested he knew what was going on. 

Hank shrugged and stood up. "Just a theory on why he can block you. I should go test it. It shouldn't take more than a few days." 

Xavier bobbed his head. "Very well, if you feel-" his gaze settled on the door. "Hank, I believe Jamie is looking for you. It seems Douglas is in pain again." 

Hank bowed briefly before leaving, catching the youngest mutant of the Institute as he stepped outside of the study. 

Logan snorted as the two walked off. "Have to work on his pain threshold, too." 

"Later, Logan. Much, much later." Ororo stood. "If you'll excuse me, I should begin preparing lunch." 

Xavier waited a few moments, thinking over what had been discussed, the elation he sensed from Jamie as he passed the door, Logan's thoughts on the new mutant. One thought in particular stuck out. _It appears that Cipher is more of a mystery than he let on._

~*()*~ 

Kurt finished brushing his fur for the second time that day, all thanks to one mischievous, back stabbing ex-prankster buddy. Granted, he had air-dried most of his fur while chasing Bobby, but damn if it wasn't annoying. Brushing his fur was not a swift chore. _I am so going to have to get revenge. He must pay. Pay, I tell you! _Sometimes he wondered if he had inherited part of his mother's vicious streak. It certainly made his life more interesting, not to mention dangerous. 

_Maybe I should plant something in his bedroom. Oh! A snake in the bed!_ He thought about this for a moment. _Perhaps a fake snake would be better. No use getting me in more trouble. Question is, how will I sneak in and out? If I teleport he'll smell the sulfur and realize I've been there. But if I open the door or window..._ He shuddered. Once he had tried to sneak into Bobby's room, only to discover the iced mutant had jury-rigged his own alarm system. It took him a week to get the honey out of his fur. 

Glancing at the currently vacant other bed, he shook his head. _Douglas would never pull a prank. He's too serious. Besides, if I sacrifice him to the dreaded honey, he's more than likely gonna sell me out._ He thought a little more. _Ach, mein Kaetzchen. I'm sure she wouldn't mind helping me. She's been the victim more than enough times to want revenge._ Smirking a little, he thought it best to ask for her assistance before doing anything. _Perhaps she would have a better idea. Though she doesn't know he's terrified of snakes._

It was strange, really. Bobby Drake, the all time prankster, couldn't stand snakes, or most reptiles for some reason. Perhaps it was because they didn't like him due to his cooling powers, but as reptiles couldn't communicate, it was quite the mystery. 

Pulling on a shirt, he bounded out of the room and crawled down the hallway wall, listening for Kitty. He found the phasing Shadowcat a little ways down, talking with Jean in her room. As he approached the doorway, automatically raising his mental shields to protect his devious mind from Jean's telepathy, his ear twitched, picking up bits of the conversation. 

"I just, like, don't know what to do with him. He's going to explode before we even get to the movie theater. Isn't there anyway you could, like, fix his shyness?" 

Kurt froze. _She's...going out with someone? _Thoughts of revenge were banished to the back burners of his mind as he strained to hear more, to find out who this guy was. 

"Even if I could, Kitty, I wouldn't." Jean sighed. "It's just part of being a teenager. Weren't you embarrassed and shy when Lance came along? Heck, before Lance. Weren't you like him the first time a guy showed any interest in you?" 

"Well, yeah, I guess, but come on. A guy like him must've been, like, totally popular with the girls at his last school." 

"He's a shy person, Kitty. Give him some time, though, and I'm sure he'll be fine. It's just...new to him, that's all." 

"Oh, I'll give him as much time as he needs. He's a total babe. Who wouldn't want to wait around for him?" 

Kurt's shoulders slumped, though it was slight as he was concentrating on keeping a grip on the wall. He knew that for all the labels Kitty had for him, 'total babe' was no where on that list. Keeping a heavy sigh to himself, he turned and crawled back to his room, his tail drooping slightly. _So now there's another guy in her life. Guess she's never gonna notice a fuzzy elf._ Closing his door with his tail, he fell on his bed, staring out the window as he rolled onto his back. _Well, life goes on, I guess. I'll just...have to hope it fails like all the others._ He licked his fangs. He hated wishing ill-will on his friends, but he wanted Kitty, and every now and then, he felt he was allowed a selfish thought. _I must find out who this guy is. He's going to have to face me down if I'm going to let him get far with my Kitty._

And down below, in the infirmary, slowly falling asleep from the pain meds, Douglas let out a quick, soft sneeze. 

~*()*~ 

~*()*~ 

~*()*~ 

Author's Prattle: Well, here's chapter three. Don't know when chapter four will pop out, but who knows. I had bursts of inspiration on this chapter, might be the same the next one. However, I've also had a burst for a Stargate fanfic, so it could be a while. We'll see, we'll see. 

As for the one German remark, I believe I basically translated it when Cipher was talking with Jamie. Yes, there is a bit of a bond forming there. Referring now to Cipher's inability to be scanned, Hank's quite correct. Think about it: genetics alone can't alter a person's mind to be a translator or telepath. Certain areas would have to be rewired, reprogrammed, or even completely regrown. It's simply the rewiring. He's not a bad guy. 

Disclaimers. Not many this chapter. I don't own X-Men Evolution, the characters, or Cipher. I do own Jonah. I don't own Advil, though. I do believe that's it for this chapter. 

Oh, in case any of you are wondering, please remember that Logan's bones are adamantium, a metal. Therefore, his body mass is at the very least double, more likely triple the body mass of an average human. That's how Douglas strained himself. As for the foot...how would you feel if you kicked metal? 

Well, until next time! As always, reviews are welcome, but more importantly thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! 


	5. First Date

**Cipher's Elegy**

_By Cypher_

__Chapter Four: First Date 

Douglas picked up his tray and smiled at Kitty. Thanks to Logan announcing a nocturnal training session, their date on Saturday was moved up to lunch and a movie. Of course, being his first date, he wasn't really sure if he should dress formally or casually, or somewhere in-between. After ten minutes of just staring at his dresser (and ignoring the grumbling roommate who had gotten caught after his morning ruckus), he gave up and headed to Scott's room. Hank had suggested seeing him for advice on girls, dating, all of the relationship stuff. Kurt was a bit...different. He didn't know the American standards for dating. 

Apparently, dating advice was the one thing Scott had a sense of humor on. At least, he THOUGHT he did. _His jokes were terrible._ Still, he had gotten some good advice. _Dress casually, but a little higher standard than what you wear for school. Stay away from foods that don't react well with your body. _That, unfortunately, ruled out Indian food, which Douglas loved. _Don't bring up any hot topics, like politics, mutant's rights, that sorta thing. Relationships can be destroyed by those._

Scott had failed to mention that Kitty was a vegetarian, and almost ruined the day by him suggesting Chinese food for lunch. Fortunately, though, she had made a rather...well, cute, but disturbing face at the steak kiosk that Douglas figured meat wasn't her thing. _Good thing there's a vegetarian pizza._ Kitty went and bought some fries to go with the Italian food, a habit she had picked up from Kurt. 

"But you tell a soul, and I'll have to hurt you." Kitty took her seat and munched on a couple of the potato strips. 

Douglas sat across from her and set the tray down, handing her some napkins and her drink. "I'm sworn to secrecy." Bobby, who he was starting to warm up to, had mentioned that Kitty tended to avoid fast food like the plague. _Someone else who failed to mention she doesn't like meat. Sheesh._ "So, um," He rubbed his hand on his leg. _Think, think...what can you talk about?_ "What's your family like?" 

Kitty raised an eyebrow. _This really is his first date ever._ Of course, it was only fair. On the ride over, Douglas had told her about his family life, or lack thereof. Normally family was a topic Kitty avoided until the fourth or fifth date. _Then again, I never asked him to talk about his family, he just started talking about himself._ Taking a bite out of her slice of pizza to avoid speaking for a few moments, she glanced over at her date. His body language was nervous, despite how he was trying to act relaxed, and his face held such a naïveté, his blue eyes sparkling with hope, that Kitty decided to go against her rules. Just this once. 

~*()*~ 

"Kitty? Kitty, where are you?" Kurt poked his head into the kitchen. "Kitty?" 

"She's out." Rouge rested a hand on her hip. "Why're you looking for Kitty?" 

"Just wanted some help with something." Kurt quickly flitted away, his tail whipping in the doorway as he left. 

Rouge shook her head. _I'm not going to be the one to tell him the truth. _

Kurt paused briefly at the living room, but decided against going in when he noticed the New Mutants hanging out, including one grumpy Iceman. Kurt had gotten his revenge that morning. He had failed to acquire the fake snake, so he had resorted to using an oldie, but a goodie. He had scared Bobby out of his mind by coming to him at two in the morning making a demon face. The result was a snowed room, and a cold Sam yelling obscenities at his roommate. Sure, it cost him a week of cleaning the hangar, but hearing Bobby scream like that was worth the labor. It was a sweet retribution that guaranteed Bobby would have a few sleepless nights. 

Granted, he didn't like using his looks like that, and Kitty had given him a glare that would've killed a lessor mutant. The only person who really laughed at it was Douglas, who, thanks to his earplugs, had missed the entire fiasco and was informed about it by Kurt the this morning. Kurt knew the others would give him a bit of a berth for the next few days, but Douglas would keep him company. _That reminds me. When Bobby and I are on speaking terms again, we've got to induct the new mutant._

Kurt paused in his retreat towards his room. _Actually, where is Douglas? I haven't seen him since breakfast._ Going into his room, he hopped onto the light fixture and hung upside down, crossing his arms and staring at his roommate's bed. _Kitty's been gone about the same time. Would...could Douglas be her date?_ He thought about how his roommate became flustered around any girl, as well as his shy nature and intellectual alienation. _No. He talks to me about everything. He would've talked about it at least once, and he'd probably act differently around Kitty._

Still, a part of his mind tingled with the disturbing fact that the two could, in fact, be dating. 

~*()*~ 

"You're Jewish?" Douglas wiped his hands on his napkin and folded his arms on the table. "Really? You? I kinda had you pegged as, well, a Protestant." 

_Way to be honest._ Kitty admitted that the honesty was refreshing, but at the same time she wondered whether or not she should feel insulted. "No, I'm a healthy Jewish girl, through and through. What about you? Are you Christian?" 

Douglas choked on his drink and coughed, setting his soda down and pounding his chest. "I, uh...it's just...um..." 

Kitty tilted her head. _What? Religion isn't something I'd break up with a person for. Of course, I'd have to really think before I kept dating-_

"I'm an atheist." Douglas hunched his shoulders, and his eyes failing to meet Kitty's. 

Kitty groaned. _I shouldn't have asked. _"You don't believe in God?" 

Douglas opened his mouth, then shut it, his brow scrunching up in what was becoming known around the mansion as his 'thinking face.' "It's not that I don't believe in God. I just...feel he doesn't exist any more." 

"Huh?" 

He sat up a bit and flexed his fingers, his face still tense as his thoughts gathered. "I've...wondered about God for a long time, and when I was old enough, I did research. Lots of research. And I came to the conclusion that God doesn't exist now, but at one point he did." Douglas' eyes search the table, and he picked up a straw wrapper, folding it into a ball. "You see, according to the laws of nature, physics, hell, let's go with the laws of science, an object that is at rest, stays at rest." He set the paper ball on the table. "But an object in motion stays in motion," he rolled the ball, illustrating his point, "until another force comes and acts upon said object," he waved as the ball fell off the edge of a table. "Thus, if we consider life, events of nature, and all of that and go back to determine its origin, we'd never find it because forces would be interacting upon one another ad infinitum." 

Kitty's head was beginning to spin, and she could sort of follow what he was saying, but at the same time, she kept part of her mind tuned inward, thinking about whether she should continue dating Douglas, or if this should be their last date. _He's certainly given this God thing a lot of thought._

Douglas continued, leaning forward slightly and folding his hands on the table. "As astrophysics insinuates that everything was at rest before the big bang, nothing should've happened to begin life. So my theory is that God, not necessarily who we know, but a being of great power, maybe one that's transcended into a form of energy that can alter reality with thought, was the initial force that set all events in motion. Why he, well, it, did that, who knows, but God, the all powerful deity, is a form of, well, think a mutant that can be everywhere, at all times, with the power to do create and destroy matter with a thought. It's the ultimate end of evolution. Thus, God isn't with us now, but something that we, well, we won't be because we'll be dead, but at some point a creature will be by matching that evolutionary standard." Douglas paused in his explanation, his lips pursed. His eyes darkened slightly as his thoughts went tumbling. 

Kitty let out a slow breath. _He's finally finished._ Alright, she admitted it to herself, she really shouldn't have asked, and she couldn't completely understand him, but got the gist of why he didn't believe in God. _He doesn't look worried, or anything. He was just...telling me why, and he doesn't think that's wrong._ Now that she thought about it, she realized that her reasons, her beliefs in Judaism didn't even begin to delve into the depths Douglas had. _Maybe I should do some research, find out a reason why I believe what I believe._

"There is, of course," Kitty looked over at him, but he hadn't moved and was staring at a window, "another theory that God is simply a definition, a thing that can break the known universal rules. If a person can create more matter than is destroyed at one point in time, and since matter is a form of energy, that would fulfill the definition of God because the balance is disrupted." He blinked a couple times. "I'm...sorry." Douglas deflated and faced her again. "You probably didn't want to hear that. I'm sorry to bore you." 

Kitty simply remained smiling. "Hey, no biggie. It was kinda interesting." 

Douglas shook his head and tapped his empty cup. "No it wasn't. No one ever finds it interesting." 

Kitty flinched. _Okay, I can understand why..._

"Thanks for at least pretending to listen. Most people just...leave, or cut me off when I'm explaining it." He smiled, his eyes meeting Kitty's. "Thank you. I do respect other people's beliefs, and I try not to...talk someone out of believing in God." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Don't question your faith because of what I said, Kitty." 

Kitty reached over and rubbed his upper arm, careful of the nearly healed shoulder. "Hey, it's alright. You just wanted to, like, tell me why you believe what you believe. That makes sense. You probably get tons of people trying to make you religious." 

Douglas nodded. "Yeah. They don't even listen when I try to explain why I don't believe in a God. I have reasons, and I just...want people to respect it." 

Kitty watched him for a minute, then got up and slid into the seat next to him, wrapping her arms around his chest and hugging him. "I respect it." 

Douglas tensed up a minute, then tentatively wrapped an arm around Kitty's waist. "Thank you." 

~*()*~ 

"Cerebro still can't find this Jonah?" 

Xavier shook his head and removed the head piece of the massive computer. "No, Logan. I did manage to pinpoint him once, I believe, but he vanished." 

Logan walked forward and stood beside the telepathic mutant. "A teleporter?" 

"No. Cerebro couldn't locate him anywhere after he vanished. It was almost as if he vanished into thin air." Xavier steepled his fingers. "Someone who can turn invisible, perhaps." 

"Or he could have just died." 

Xavier sighed. "Yes, Logan, I know. I'd rather not think the worst, however." 

"Humpf." Logan walked towards the door. 

Xavier followed him. "Have you met with Hank already?" 

"Why? Was he calling for me?" 

"He found the reason Douglas was unreadable." He entered the elevator, waiting for Logan to get it. "His hunch was right. His brain uses different parts of his mind, as well as far more complex neuron interactions than the normal human, or mutant for that matter." 

"Doesn't the elf have different wiring?" Nightcrawler's mental spatial capabilities were renowned through the Institute. Logan had helped the teen judge spatial dimensions for non-line-of-sight teleports. 

"His is enhanced, but Douglas' is completely rewired. His frontal lobes have twice as much activity, and the cerebral cortex, where my telepathy is centered, well, not standard. His ability to hear, see, and speak has also moved to the frontal lobe, while the Parietal, Temporal, and Occipital lobe have been redesigned to minimize auditory functions. He also has an enhanced, and slightly larger, somatosensory cortex, but it doesn't follow the standard PET models." 

"So every time you tried to read his mind, you ran into a compatibility problem." Logan narrowed his eyes. If Magneto ever gained a telepath, Cipher's mind would be a great advantage. "Interesting..." 

"Unfortunately, neither Jean or I can scan him unless we push beyond that incompatibility and force a scan on him, which could potentially harm him, possibly even kill him. With some work, I may be able to become somewhat mentally compatible, but it will take hours of private sessions, so it may be best if I wait until he's finished his main training." Xavier rolled out onto the main floor, heading for his office. "So I'll be relying on you and the other instructors to tell me how he's fitting in. Be sure you consult fellow students, as well. It's unlikely he'd deceive us, but he is a teenager." 

"Got it." Logan input the code and crossed his arms as the elevator descended towards the Danger Room to prepare for that night. 

~*()*~ 

"And here I you'd be into scary movies." Kitty threw away her empty popcorn container and stretched her back, feeling her bones pop into place after two hours of sitting still for the movie. 

"Well, things like Alien I like, but things like Carrie I won't go near." Douglas seemed a bit less uncomfortable after sitting for so long, though Kitty winced as he twisted his arms in a strange position. 

"You've, like, been getting yoga lessons from Kurt, haven't you." 

"A few." Douglas grinned and let his arms fall, unconsciously taking Kitty's hand and holding it. "Did you enjoy the movie?" 

"Like, of course. Who wouldn't love a romantic comedy." She glanced at her hand, but said nothing. It seemed more of an instinct than anything else. _And it's kinda sweet. I wonder what he'll do when he realizes what he's doing._ "So, where to?" 

Douglas shrugged and glanced at his watch. "We need to get back to the Institute. I guess we should catch a ride home." 

"Scott said he'd be here at the end of the movie, so he should be around here somewhere." Kitty got pushed closer to Douglas as someone shoved her walking by. She blushed slightly, but didn't make any move to distance herself from Douglas again. 

Douglas bit his lip. Part of him enjoyed having Kitty so close to him, but another part of him was screaming to get away. _She's just...cuddling, that's all. No need to panic, no need to push her away. Just remain calm, play it cool, and she won't even notice your racing heart._ He kept scanning the crowds, looking for the telltale ruby glasses that Scott Summers always wore. 

"Hey, yo, who's the new guy?" 

Kitty groaned. _It just figures they'd have to show up._

Douglas, not recognizing the voice, hadn't realized the question was thrown at him and Kitty. "Where is he?" 

"Hey, Pretty Kitty. Who's the loser?" 

"No one, Lance. Just, like, back off." Kitty tightened her grip on Douglas. If she had to phase them out of there, she would. _He's not ready to take on the Brotherhood._

Douglas faced this Lance person and raised an eyebrow at the ruffian look he was sporting. "And this is...?" He did recognize a hint of jealousy in the brown eyes, but Lance didn't seem the sort of person Kitty would hang out with. 

"Lance Alvers." Lance smirked and stood taller. 

Douglas blinked, not quite sure how to take the self-assured stance. "Is that name supposed to impress me?" 

"Hah! You got dissed." Todd hopped next to Lance, eyeing Douglas up and down. 

Douglas wrinkled his nose. "Ugh...what is that smell?" He looked around, trying to find the source. 

"It's Toad." Kitty sighed. "What do you two want?" 

"We hear you have another new mutant. We just wanna give him a warm Brotherhood welcome." Lance cracked his knuckles. 

Douglas frowned. "You're the Brotherhood?" Douglas looked over at Kitty. "What do we do when we run into them in public?" 

"So you're the new mutant?" Toad had a wicked grin that Kitty didn't like. "What's your power?" 

Douglas thought a moment. _I could tell the truth, or I could tell a lie._

Kitty stepped between him and the Brotherhood members. She could tell they were going to try something, whether they knew his power or not. _Come on, Scott, like, show up already._

Douglas finally shrugged, settling on a half truth. "I'm Wolverine's protégé." 

Kitty tried not to laugh as the two mutants facing her looked visibly shaken. Toad even took a step back. "So you see, it's not a wise idea to, like, mess with him." 

"Yeah, well is that supposed to impress me?" Lance's hands curled into fists and he stepped into a fighting stance. 

"Kitty, Douglas. Come on! We're gonna be late!" Scott rested a hand on his glasses, watching the Brotherhood mutants, letting them know he would let loose if they made any threatening moves. 

Douglas walked over to the older mutant, his hand clenching Kitty's. 

Kitty tried not to wince. _He's good at putting up a calm front. Guess he's dealt with bullies before, but if he doesn't ease up, soon, I'm gonna have to phase out of his grip._ Thankfully, once she and Douglas were behind Scott and backing away, heading for the parking lot, Douglas let go of her hand. 

They retreated in silence. Once in the car, however, Douglas collapsed into his seat and stared at the sky, taking deep breaths. 

Kitty waved off Scott's questioning glance and she ran a hand through his hair. "It's alright, they're back at the mall and we're heading home. You handled it really well." 

Douglas simply nodded, still trying to get his heart rate down. He knew getting it back to normal would be impossible with Kitty around him, but he had to get it below the anxiety attack level. 

"That was, like, a great idea. Telling them you were training with Wolverine." Kitty couldn't wait to tell the others about Lance's expression. _Serves him right. With luck he'll stop calling me Pretty Kitty, too._

"Sorry." 

Kitty patted Douglas' arm. "For what?" 

"I dunno." He chuckled. Kitty smiled, glad he was getting back to normal. "But I just kinda think it...ruined our date." 

"You couldn't have known they'd be there. Besides, the date's not over yet." She noticed Scott look in the rearview mirror. _Back off. _

"It's not?" He sat up, tilting his head. 

"The date's not over until you walk the girl to the door." Scott grinned and adjusted his mirror. _I'll talk with him about dealing with the Brotherhood later. _"You okay?" 

"Yeah, just scared half to death. I've never faced off against a mutant, except Wolverine, and there I knew I'd be safe somewhat safe." Douglas rubbed his forehead. "So, if our date's still on, what do we do now?" 

"Well, you walk me to the door." _And I think I'll sneak something else, too._ She leaned against Douglas and watched the scenery go by. 

Douglas tensed slightly, but he had begun to get used to Kitty leaning against him. _Keep it calm. Just stay relaxed...relaxed..._ The ride, however, ended mere moments later. 

"I'll see you two inside." Scott put his arm over the passenger seat and faced the younger teens. 

Kitty nodded. "Thanks, Scott." She hopped out of the car. Douglas followed suit, though his landing was far less graceful. After Scott pulled away, Kitty took Douglas' hand and walked him to the door. 

"Aren't I supposed to escort you?" Douglas didn't mind the role reversal, though. 

"Like, it doesn't matter." She stopped in front of the entrance and faced her date. "You think we could do this again?" 

Douglas shrugged. "I guess, but I'd think you'd get bored seeing the same movie again." His mouth quirked upward. 

_Okay, lame, but he's loosening up, at least. _She gave him a small giggle. "I meant maybe dinner next time." 

"Yeah, I'd like that." Douglas shuffled his feet. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do, but if all the movies he saw were any indication, she was expecting him to kiss her. 

"So, like, goodnight." 

"We're gonna see each other in ten minutes." 

Kitty laughed that time. "Well, goodnight for ten minutes, then." _He's not going to, so I might as well do it now._ She stepped forward and kissed the tall teen, wrapping her arms around his chest. _Nice..._

Douglas stood shocked for a minute, before tentatively putting his arms around Kitty as well. Being his first kiss, he wasn't sure how to respond, but he gave it a shot, not wanting to seem uninterested. _This is...surprising. I like it, but it's...different from what I've seen, or thought it'd be like. It's better._

Kitty was the one to break the intimate action, smiled, and phased her way through the door. 

Still stunned, Douglas followed her, only to walk straight into the glass of the front door, thus ending the special moment. _Ow...but that was great. Real great..._

~*()*~ 

~*()*~ 

~*()*~ 

Author's Prattle: Chapter four, she is here! I wrote it entirely in my History class (damn GE requirements). Half on Monday, half on Wednesday. And yes, I DID include some stuff from my Philosophy class for Cipher's explanation. Just want to let you know that his views are not necessarily my own. Also included some bio stuff for Cipher's brain. Yes, those ARE real areas. 

Let's see...what do I need to talk about here...oh, the mall is supposed to be Bayview mall, however I had to assume that the food available is similar to what's available at the mall where I live. Oh, sorry if the romance is corny or unrealistic. Keep in mind I've never had a romantic relationship, so I'm winging it (especially since I normally write shounen ai couples). 

Disclaimers. Let's start with what I DO own. I own Jonah. That's it. All references (characters, locations, etc) of X-Men Evolution belong to Marvel. I also do not own, let's see...the food court, The Five Pillars of Proof (of God) (I'm trying to remember who wrote that...suffice to say, I don't own it). I also don't own the definition of God Cipher uses. I'm paraphrasing from a book I read a while back (when WAS the last time I read?). Can't remember what it's titled, though. I don't own Alien or Carrie, they belong to...well, no clue with Alien, but Carrie belongs to Stephen King, I believe. Um...I believe that's all, but if you recognize another reference to a movie, book, essay, I probably don't own it. 

Boy that's a lot of Disclaimers for this chapter. Chapter five should be out soon, probably dealing with Nightcrawler finding out, so hopefully there'll be some Angst. On a separate note, I've posted my first Stargate SG-1 fic. If you have time and like the genre, enjoy! Otherwise, reviews are always welcome, and see you next time! 


	6. Sunday Events

**Cipher's Elegy**

****_By Cypher_

Chapter Five: Sunday Events 

**Dear mom and dad. I know it's been a while since I emailed you, but a lot has happened since the last time I talked, er, typed with you. I've finally found the perfect place to type. After the last time with Mr. Logan and the whole Canada fiasco, I'm avoiding the hangar and jet. If you want the specifics, well, I'll have to ask the Professor before I can tell you. But let's just say I learned a valuable lesson, and grew a little closer to Mr. Logan.**

**Any who, I'm in one of the subbasements. Kurt, you remember him? Well, he likes to wander around, and he like, found all these unused rooms. He's claimed a couple of them, made them cozy for him, but most of them are empty. I think they're for when we get more mutants. **

**Speaking of new mutants, all the ones I mentioned before are fine. Bobby, the jokester, is at war with Kurt right now. For a couple of days anyway. I know they'll team up again. They always do. Jamie, the youngest one here, is still having troubles fitting in, but Kurt's spending time with him. **

**There's one more new mutant. He came a few days ago. Douglas Ramsey. His code name is Cipher, because his power is, well, he can decipher languages and such. He can do more with it, but it's kinda hard to explain. He's a blond, and looks a bit innocent, but he's a lot more complex than any of us expected. Especially me.**

**Okay, I admit it, I fell for him, but he's like, such a babe. Not in the way Scott is. He's kinda got, well, he's cute and shy, but he's also really intelligent, and he works out enough that he's in pretty good shape. What really got me was his face, though. Like I said, innocent, but his eyes shine like, like, well, they have a brilliant shine. You can really get sucked into them.**

**I did mention he's shy, right? I asked him out and he nearly fainted then and there. I must be his first girlfriend. Still, he handled it pretty well. No, he is handling it pretty well. I think he's a keeper. Really, I do. He's sweet, and kind and gentle, and unlike most guys, he's honest. Tactlessly sometimes. **

**Like when we were eating lunch, he brought up the subject of religion. Well, actually, I was talking about my family and mentioned we were Jewish. I know I never thought I'd be saying this, but I'm dating an atheist. A smart one. I didn't really understand his explanation, but I got the idea. See, he thinks a Godlike creature set off the Big Bang, then left. And eventually someone will evolve into the same being (like a super mutant) and repeat the cycle. **

**Of course, he was a lot more through. He told me later that the sources he used ranged from theological analysis to philosophical essays. He was only ten mom. Ten. He really is a genius, and not just because of his powers. And I know I was the first one to ever actually listen to what he was saying. He was so...thankful. I kinda know how he feels. Those of us who are smart tend to be ignored when we're explaining things.**

**And don't worry, he's not trying to convert me. In fact, he offered to help me research Judaism and understand my faith even more. He respects others' beliefs, and just wants his to be respected in return. I get the feeling they haven't been in the past. Well, I'm gonna change that. I'm gonna help him get his self-esteem up and dig him out of his shy shell, too. I mean, he gets flustered around every girl, even me. **

**It's probably too soon to tell if this will work out for good, but I really, really like him. And even if it doesn't, I hope we can still be friends. I think we would be. He's not one to hold a grudge. At least, I haven't seen that. I mean, how can someone who cries at a movie be unforgiving? **

****Kitty paused in her typing. It was Sunday morning and school was due to begin tomorrow, but she wanted to tell her parents about her new interest before they became obsessed with learning about how she was doing at school. She hadn't seen Douglas since the Danger Room session the night before. He was exhausted, and Kitty could understand why. 

_"Douglas duck!"_

_"Cipher! Look out!"_

_"Incoming, Ciph!"_

_"Jump already!"_

_"Come on, blonde, let's you and me waltz."_

Kitty winced at the memory. Those were just the things she had heard. By the end, Kurt, who looked just as tired, used what must've been the last of his energy to teleport them both to their room. _I wouldn't be surprised if they both slept till noon._ The fact that the infamous morning antics of Kurt Wagner had failed to occur backed up that thought, though in all fairness, she was the first person up, next to Ororo. _Speaking of which, I promised I'd help her with brunch._ Kitty started typing again. 

**Well, I've got to sign off for now. I've got some last minute chores to deal with, and I want to check on Douglas. Since his power isn't really useful in a fight, he has to work twice as hard as the rest of us, and after the workout Mr. Logan gave us last night, I wanna make sure he's okay. Talk with you later.**

Kitty sent the e-mail and closed her laptop. _Now, which is the fastest way to get to the kitchen..._

~*()*~ 

Douglas groaned, throwing an arm over his eyes. Someone, or something, was nudging him, and if they weren't careful, they were going to wake him up. _And you do not want to face a tired Ramsey. Crankiness runs in the family._

"Come on, dude. It's nearly ten. Wakey wakey." Kurt poked Douglas in the ribs again. "Come on." In truth, Kurt wanted to talk with Douglas about who Kitty was dating. He had seen Scott drop the two of them off, but missed seeing them come in as he had to go to the Danger Room. _He must've at least gotten a look at the guy._

A small part of his mind reasoned that Douglas could be the guy. Kurt tried his best to ignore it. 

A growl, and something rather unsavory, worked its way from the lips of his roommate. 

Kurt raised an eyebrow. "Considering my mother's Mystique, that's not all that bad an insult." 

The growl--Y_es, it's definitely a growl_--grew louder, more threatening. 

"Come on, Douglas. Brunch is waiting, and Ororo made you your favorite mocha." 

That got a reaction. Douglas lifted his arm and squinted at the blue, undefined shape before him. "Mocha?" Douglas' quirks were already beginning to spread around the Institute. The first was his 'thinking face,' whenever Douglas seemed to get a glazed look in the middle of a conversation. The second was his affinity for books. No one seemed to mind, though Bobby sometimes teased him about being a bookworm. The third was that he needed caffeine in the morning. Not coffee, as he couldn't stand the taste. But a soda, some breath mints, or his personal favorite, mocha. When he first arrived, he had a couple instant pouches in his bag, allowing him to drink the beverage in his room. When Ororo found out about them, she went out and bought some so he could properly make it in the kitchen. _What they don't realize is, I need it when I wake up. Not when I get to kitchen._

His parents had learned that the hard way. One summer he they had guests staying over, and his mother forgot to bring him a cup and set it by his bed. He ended up walking to the kitchen in his boxers and nothing else, much to the embarrassment of his mother and father. _Me too, when I finally realized why they were trying to avert their eyes._

Slowly, but surely, Douglas managed to pry himself up from the mattress, grimacing as he felt kinks in his arms and back. "Christ, what a work out. I'm gonna be sore for days." He took in the look on Kurt's face. "Oh, sorry." Once again, he had cursed the Lord's name in front of his devoutly Catholic roommate. _Start cursing his name in French. That should confuse him._ _Or Egyptian..._

"S'okay, man." Kurt, once he was sure Douglas was going to leave his bed, hopped over to his side of the room and sat on the footboard of his bed, watching as the blond peeled his legs out from under the covers. Kurt was sure his roomie was still cursing the Lord's name, but as he didn't understand, well, it sounded Arabic, he couldn't be sure. "So, where did you go yesterday?" His tail swung and curved around a bedpost. 

Douglas pulled on some sweat pants. He may have preferred his sleeping attire, but he was too shy to show up at the breakfast table just wearing that, especially with girls around. "Lunch. Movie. Mall. Date. Not in that order." He yawned and scratched his head. _First I'll get the mocha, then I'll hit the shower. A nice, loooooong shower. With lots of heat. _He pulled at his shirt and looked at it, debating whether to put something more on or just go as is. 

Unnoticed by him, Kurt had gone rigid. _No...it can't be. It can't! That's just...that's not fair!_ "Was...your date...with Kitty?" 

"Yeah." Douglas blinked, a smile touching his face. "Yeah, it was. I...had a wonderful time. She actually listened to me." An alertness that usually only came after his caffeine intake seemed to take affect. "You know, I've had friends, but none of them cared why I believed certain things, or how my family life was going. Kitty, though, she just sat and smiled. I knew it was boring for her, but she didn't stop me. She rode it out and talked, actually talked with me afterwards." He closed his eyes and fell back on his bed, his arms resting behind his head. "And she didn't ditch me, or put me down, or give me sad looks because I screwed up." He opened his baby blues and looked over at Kurt. "It was my first date, you know, and I wasn't really sure how to act." 

Kurt, on the other hand, was still rigid. His toes and fingers were gripping the footboard, and his tail, still wrapped around the bedpost, tightened its grip. Kurt's mind wasn't focused on controlling it right now. _He got asked out by Kitty...only after a day?!_ Kurt knew his looks never scored points with Kitty, but he had hoped she would look beyond his appearance, to see who he really was and maybe, just maybe, ask him out. _That little...first he comes into my room, then he takes my Kaetzchen..._ Despite what he was feeling, though, Kurt's face was impassive, giving Douglas no clue as to the turmoil that was inside the fury mutant's mind. 

"And at the end, she kissed me." Douglas sat up and faced Kurt. "Me. It was my first kiss, and it was by a girl I like. I mean, she could have anyone. You, Scott, Bobby, but she chose me. You have no idea how...how great this is. I've finally been noticed and not just to be used or simple friends. She likes me. A lowly...lowly translator." He ran a hand through his hair, ignoring how the action failed to subdue the wild pillow hair. "This is probably one of the best things in my life. I," he blinked, hunching his shoulders, "I'm glad I have a friend I can share it with." 

Kurt stared, his yellow pupils widening slightly. _Me. He means me. Wunderbar! I get to listen to him swoon about the girl of my dreams! And he expects me to be...be happy for him?_ From the look on Douglas' face, Kurt knew the answer. _What in Gott am I supposed to do? _Scott's words about helping him fit in and acting friendly came to mind. _I guess I can at least...pretend to be happy. Ja, that'll work._ Slowly, Kurt's mouth twitched upward into a small grin. 

Douglas felt better when he saw Kurt smile. _I hope I didn't insult him or make him feel bad. He can't have a normal girlfriend. Hmm...there's got to be someone around here that's interested. Maybe that, what's her name, Rouge. Yeah, her. Maybe Kitty could talk her into a double date with Kurt._ He blinked when he heard something crack. "What was that?" 

Kurt glanced at his tail and noticed it was slowly uncurling it from the now damaged bedpost. _Whoops. And here I thought I had my feelings well under control._ He shrugged and hopped onto the floor. "Probably one of the new mutants doing something. Come on, let's go eat." 

Douglas nodded and stood up, grabbing a book from the top of his dresser before hurrying out the door. _Wonder if I can grab a seat next to Kitty._ He felt the high from talking about his girlfriend--_Girlfriend. My girlfriend._--start to wear off. _Better get that caffeine-sugar mix into me first. Otherwise I'm gonna crash right in my eggs._

Kurt followed a little more slowly, his tail thrashing, even though it was drooping. No matter what mask he put on, no matter how confident a posture he had, his tail would always indicate what he was truly feeling. Normally he could concentrate and get his tail to at least stay off the ground. Today, though, he couldn't concentrate. Not on his tail, at least. He had to figure out how he was going to get through this. _I'm sharing a room with the man who stole my Kaetzchen. Maybe the Professor will allow me to go back to staying by myself now. I don't think I could be friendly to him any more._

He stopped walking as he got to the doorway to the dining room. Rouge had traded her place with Douglas, allowing the blonde mutant to sit next to Kitty. While his eyes were focused on a book, he was smiling as Kitty went on about something at school. _Is he even listening to her?_ He got his answer when it appeared she asked him something, and he replied, winning him a brief hug from Kitty. Kurt felt his stomach twist. Part of him was hungry, but another part had lost his appetite. He was about to escape, when the Professor caught his eye. _Verdammt. _Now he knew he had to eat. So, putting on his clown face, he teleported into his chair and started piling up his plate. _Just act as if everything is normal. _

"Like, ew. How can you eat that, Kurt?" Kitty stabbed a piece of cantaloupe with her fork. 

Kurt grinned, though it was only surface deep. "I'm hungry. Besides, your boyfriend is eating the same thing." 

Kitty wrinkled her nose. "Like, I know, but he's not doing it in excess. Besides, he, like, will eat anything on his plate when he's reading." 

"Not true," came the muffled reply from the teen next to her. "I still taste things." Douglas swallowed and pulled his eyes away from the book, glancing at his roommate. "Besides, I eat the meat for the vitamins and proteins." 

"And I eat it for calories." Kurt kept his grin in place as he dove into the food, pushing his feelings aside. _Just get through the meal. Then you can go out and...figure things out._

Logan glanced at Kurt, sensing something wrong, but remained silent. Instead he glared at the back of Douglas' head, as he continued to read and eat. 

Kitty picked up on Logan's displeasure. "Um, Douglas? I think Mr. Logan wants you to put your book away." 

"Why?" Douglas blinked at her, tilting his head. "Is there something wrong?" 

Evan rolled his eyes. "Man, didn't you have discussions and such at meals? To read is rude." 

"Ah." Douglas tried to hide his disappointment as he closed the book and set it under his chair. "Sorry. I was just excited about my books arriving yesterday." 

Scott winced at that. Douglas had been out when the package had arrived, and he, foolishly, volunteered to bring it to Douglas' room, as Hank was complaining about the package being left in the middle of the entry way. "What is that book, anyway?" 

Douglas sat up a bit and swallowed the eggs he was working on. "Well, it's from scripts found on an excavation of the Valley of the Kings. It's talking about the culture, the mythology, especially the mythology. Actually, I'm trying to cross-reference a specific name with others I've found, as I there's no real historic reference. The problem is the term is so obscure that it could be buried anywhere within the ancient texts, so-" 

"We get the idea, dude. Give it a rest." 

Douglas flinched slightly at that, but smiled and shrugged. "Sorry. I get excited by ancient languages." He looked down at his plate and picked at his food a minute before eating again. 

Kitty glared at Roberto, the one who had effectively told Douglas to shut up. From the look on his face, the Professor was lecturing him as well. _Serves him right. _"If you want, you can tell me about it later." 

Douglas shook his head. "No, no, that's okay. It'd probably bore you. It's just...something I do as a hobby." He set his fork down. "Actually, I'd kinda just like to read today, if that's okay. After yesterday's workout, my body needs a rest." 

Kitty reached under the table and squeezed Douglas' hand. "That's, like, cool. I know this great place on the grounds." 

"Thanks, Kitty." Douglas closed his eyes. After taking a calming breath, he opened his eyes and pushed his chair away. "I'm heading for the shower. I'll see you later, okay?" 

"Like, of course." She leaned over and kissed his cheek, causing him to turn red. "I'll be waiting for you." 

Douglas muttered something and Kitty watched him scurry way, and giggled. _He's so cute._

"So, you two are getting close pretty fast." Jean extended her power to pull the waffles away from Kurt towards her. 

Kitty turned more pink, but nodded. "He's cute, and shy, and he understands what I'm saying." She downed her orange juice. "And he's considerate. He's always worried that I'm boring him or if he's unsure he'll ask. He's so straightforward and honest that it's surprising." 

"He rambles about nonsense. I mean, how can you understand any of that stuff he talked about?" Evan poured himself another glass of milk. 

"He doesn't ramble. He, like, explains. And I don't always understand him, but I like, get what he means." Kitty crossed his arms and rested them on the edges of the table. "And he likes to talk a lot because I don't think people have let him. I asked him about his religion, and he spent about ten minutes explaining why he believed what he believed. If you gave him a chance, you'd find he's really an interesting guy." 

There was a snort from the new mutant's end of the table. Kitty chose to ignore it. 

"What is he?" That came from Kurt. "I room with him and can't figure out what he believes." 

Kitty shifted a bit uncomfortably. _Is it, like, my place to tell them what he is?_ "Um, I don't know if he'd want me to. Or actually, he could probably explain it better than me." 

Ororo raised her eyebrow, finally sitting down to eat. "Religion is a very personal matter. Perhaps it would be best for him to decide whether we need to know." 

Kitty thought a moment, then nodded. "Yeah. It's up to him to tell you. The point is, you guys should let him talk, because it's worth hearing about, and he deserves that consideration." She stood up and headed for her room. 

Bobby shifted nervously and glanced around the table. The New Mutants, minus Jamie, were uncomfortable at Kitty's statement. Especially Roberto, who obviously had a mental reprimand from their head professor. The X-Men seemed unfazed, though they had spent less time with Douglas than the others, with the exception of Kurt and Kitty. _Lucky them._

"So," Kurt looked around the table, "could someone pass the sausages?" 

~*()*~ 

Douglas rolled his head around, stretching his neck. _God, how long have I sat here?_ He twisted his arm and squinted at his watch. _Two hours? Not bad for two hours._

As promised, Kitty had brought a book and took him to a small grove in the forest. There was plenty of natural light, but the two were still covered by shade. Douglas had immediately taken a liking to the place, and understood why Kitty enjoyed it as well. He had opted to sit against a tree trunk, and Kitty had, to his delight and despite his blush, had opted to sit next to him, her shoulder brushing against his. 

He glanced over a couple times at first, noticing a smile on her face, as well as noting that her book was a romance novel. _Wonder if that was a hint._ He continued his reading in the book he had at brunch, making notes with a pencil and dog-earing certain pages. The reference was to Exodus, and what he couldn't understand was how a book of the Bible that shouldn't have even existed yet could be referenced in ancient Egyptian texts. 

Egypt wasn't the only mention. There was a mention of it in Babylon, in a Chinese tomb, and a couple other places around the Mediterranean. All predating either the Exodus book itself, or the mass production of the Bible. In addition, there was one text he had skimmed (he hadn't had time to fully read it yet) that seemed to personify the book. _It's like a riddle wrapped in an enigma in the middle of a labyrinth. _He smirked. _Well, I do love a mystery. _

"Hey, you-" Douglas blinked when he didn't feel Kitty move at her name. "Kitty?" 

"Mm." 

Douglas turned his head and raised his eyebrows. Kitty's book was resting on her lap, and he head had migrated to his shoulder. _How'd I miss that? _He felt blood creeping up his cheeks. _She's just taking a nap. That's all. Nothing more. It's kinda...nice._ Scooting a little closer to make sure her head wouldn't fall off him, Douglas opened his book again and started reading through it again. 

He never noticed the twin yellow glows coming from a tree near them, or the smell of sulfur as a certain blue mutant teleported away. 

~*()*~ 

~*()*~ 

~*()*~ 

Author's Prattle: Et chapter five is out. Whoohoo, ne? If you couldn't tell, the bold text indicates Kitty typing her e-mail. Also, for those of you who already figured out what's coming up, yes, I'm changing the history, but it's creative license. As for Kurt and Cipher's relationship, I'm gonna try and expand how rocky it'll become next chapter. Also, those of you who want more Jamie, he'll be back next chapter too. 

Chapter six'll probably be out in another week. Maybe two, as I've got two midterms. I also wanna get started on an SG-1 fic (another one) and my Ronin fic MUST have my attention before certain web mistresses boot it off their site. Though compared to those fics, these chapters are short and easy to write. So we'll see... 

Disclaimers. Ohh...well, the obvious one: I don't own X-Men Evolution or its characters and settings. Also, my beta forgot this, so here's a reminding: Cipher doesn't belong to me. He's a character of Marvel (granted, short-lived); I'm just using him. I also don't mean to offend anyone with Cipher's swearing at the Lord. He's an atheist, and that's just a part of his character. 

Well, that's it for this chapter. Until next time, reviews are welcome, but more importantly, enjoy! 


	7. Just a Day in the Life

**Cipher's Elegy**

_By Cypher_

__Chapter Six: Just a Day in the Life... 

"Watcha doing?" 

Douglas jumped, startled by the sudden appearance of the youngest mutant in the mansion. 

Jamie giggled and stepped back. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." 

"No, no. It's my fault. I was...concentrating." Douglas set the pad he was writing on aside. "Did I miss our lesson?" As per his agreement the last week, Douglas had begun to spend some time with Jamie, teaching him to use his powers in a more offensive way. 

"No. I was just wondering what you were doing." Jamie climbed onto Douglas' bed and sat next to the older mutant, eyeing the pad. "Whatcha writing?" 

Douglas looked at the ceiling, but indulged the mutant's curiosity. "It's a letter to my parents, so they know how I'm doing." 

Jamie tilted his head. "Why don't you e-mail them?" 

"It's better to write than e-mail. You know how the older generation isn't really into computers and such." _That, and last time I sent them an e-mail, it got lost amongst all the other crap they get from work._ _Sometimes having diplomats for parents just isn't all it's cracked up to be._ Douglas sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, grimacing as he recalled what it now looked like. 

Jamie noticed the change in his facial expression. "I'm sure it'll be back to normal soon enough. I think it's kinda neat, anyway." 

"You want me to ask Kurt if he has some extra for you?" 

Jamie quickly shook his head. 

Douglas laughed and ruffled his friend's hair. Now he could laugh at it. Earlier, though, when it had happened... 

_Douglas hummed as he stepped out of the shower, grabbing a towel and wiping his face. His nose caught a whiff of sulfur, but he brushed it off as Kurt just needing to grab a brush or something. Yawning, he started drying his hair. A flash of blue caught his eye, and he paused. "Blue?" Slowly he removed the towel from his head and faced the mirror. _

_His hair was blue._

_Royal blue._

_The sulfur smell he had picked up on earlier told him exactly who was behind this. _

_"KUUUUUURRRRRTTTT!"_

Actually, after he had run out (and back in again when he realized he had forgotten a bathrobe), he found Kurt and Bobby laughing at him. Kurt's laughing died slightly when he noticed what color Douglas' hair was, indicating it was Bobby who chose the dye. 

_"Now you and Kurt look like relatives or something!"_

Kurt had tackled Bobby at that, but both boys stopped fighting when Douglas had grabbed both of their shirts and looked them straight in the eyes, his own burning with an intense fire. 

_"You have one minute to run. Then I'm going to do something VERY painful to both of you."_

Kurt, wisely, teleported away immediately. Bobby swallowed nervously and backed off a bit before running for his room. 

Things went downhill from there. 

Bobby ended up limping to breakfast, while Kurt teleported in as usual, a grin on his face. When Douglas entered, the room went silent, for all of two seconds, before erupting with laughter. Kitty was the only one who hadn't laughed, and glared at Kurt while saying soothing things into Douglas' ear. At one point she even said the color made him even cuter, and Douglas could've sworn he caught a hurt look cross Kurt's face. 

_She understood just how hard this was for me._ It was Douglas' first time in a public school, and he was immediately labeled two things: nerd and taken. Nerd because he always had a book to read, and taken because Kitty glared at any girl who approached him in a more than friendly way. Still, by the second day he had begun to fit in. Other than some white-haired kid, Pietro, bothering him, school was going pretty well. 

But on the third day, Kurt and Bobby pulled the hair prank, and now he had blue hair. It had gotten some surprising looks, along with some questions on whether Douglas was actually related to Kurt somehow. _Damn Bobby picked a good matching color._ Pietro just started laughing when he caught Douglas' new looks, and for some reason, one girl kept asking him out despite Kitty's looks of death. She had a thing for blue, apparently. 

On the way home, Scott had taken pity on the sophomore and stopped at a convenience store to buy some blond hair dye. The instant he got home Douglas locked himself in the bathroom to try and get his hair somewhat back to its normal color. He was mostly successful. 

Mostly. He had blond hair, but there were blue streaks along his head. 

"So what else are you writing to them about?" 

Douglas sighed and picked up his pad again, glancing over it. "My hair, public school, how things are going, Kitty." He smiled softly at that. Kitty had offered to play Scrabble with him later to take his mind off what the pranksters had done. 

Jamie tried not to look hurt. "What about me?" 

"What about you?" Douglas got off the bed and set the paper and pen on his desk. 

Jamie sat up on his knees. "Aren't you going to tell them about me?" 

"Well, I could, or we could go hang out in the yard and annoy Rahne with a few dozen of your clones." 

Jamie brightened, but pretended to think about it. "Well, an annoyed Rahne is fun..." 

Douglas headed for the door and shook his head. "I was about to mention you when you came in. Come on, let's go practice on Rahne. Then we both have homework to get to." 

Jamie groaned and followed Douglas. "You know, Kurt never bothers me about homework." 

"Kurt isn't the one teaching you French, either. Now let's hurry, or else we'll have to bug someone less fun, like Sam." 

~*()*~ 

Kurt's tail lashed out as he observed Jamie and Douglas head out the front door. Some people had already figured out that Douglas was helping Jamie with his powers, while most just assumed the older mutant was spending time with the youngest one out of pity or guilt. To Kurt, though, the interaction was yet more fuel for the fire that was building against the newest addition to the Institute. 

_My room, my love, my little brother...verdammt. _He let out a soft growl. _It's like he's trying to take over my life!_ His tail curled and uncurled, thrashing the floor. _What is it he has that I don't?!_

Kurt felt his tail droop as another part of his mind spoke up. _Maybe it's what he doesn't have. He doesn't have fur, he doesn't have fangs, he doesn't have weird hands, he doesn't have a stupid accent. _

_Shut up! It's not that!_ Kurt's heart twisted slightly, knowing it was probably true. He tried to push the negative thoughts aside, knowing that one of the telepaths at the institute would pick up on it and want to talk about his feelings. _It's not that. They like me. They accept me._

_They just like him better._

This time it was Kurt's shoulders that slumped and he teleported to his room, no longer wanting to go watch television in the rec room. _They don't like him better. The New Mutants aren't exactly accepting, and the X-Men don't want him on their team either._

_But some of them still like him better._

Climbing up the wall, Kurt jumped onto his light fixture and hung upside-down, crossing his arms. _So what do I do about it? He thinks I'm his friend. I may not like him, but I don't want to hurt his feelings. I don't want to hurt anybody._

_Then perhaps it's time you rethought that policy. At least with him. Especially if you don't want to hear about his relationship with Kitty._

Kurt nodded slowly. While he still felt uncomfortable with the idea, the inner voice made sense. He had to somehow convey to Douglas that he didn't want to be friends. _But how exactly do I go about doing that?_

__~*()*~ 

"Alright, Douglas. I want you to focus on reaching out with your mind, to try and contact me." 

Douglas fidgeted in the chair and nodded. He couldn't really understand why these exercises were necessary. He didn't have anything against telepaths, but he really didn't want anyone poking around in his head. _Still, might as well please the man. He is the headmaster._ Closing his eyes, Douglas concentrated on clearing his mind and thinking towards Xavier. _This is so stupid. How can one think towards a person?_

Xavier, on his part, had his hands resting on his head and tried to aim his telepathy towards the appropriate part of Douglas' mind. Unfortunately, he kept picking up on a knowledge barrier. Languages, mathematical equations, even some trivia blocked his way, and his ability to maneuver towards the necessary part of Douglas' mind. _Perhaps this is why he takes a few minutes before speaking. He has to sort through all this information._ "Douglas, can you order your thoughts?" 

"I'll try." 

Xavier noticed how the information around his mind swirled about him, creating an opening, but only for a moment. Before he could move forward, new information appeared to block his way. The information that had been pushed aside lurched forward and flooded the area before him. _This is pointless now. It'd be like trying to navigate pea soup._ "Alright, Douglas, that's enough." 

Douglas rubbed his forehead, frowning. _What a headache._ "What'd you do?" 

"Nothing, why?" 

"I've got what feels like a sinus headache." He pinched the bridge of his nose to try and relieve some of the pressure. _Nope, not sinus. Just feels like it._

Xavier folded his hands together. "I'm afraid that's from you attempting to order your thoughts for me to get through. Apparently your mind refuses to allow anyone through. The instant I had a clear path more information appeared to block me." 

Douglas ran a hand through his hair. "Sorry." 

"There is no need to apologize. I don't believe you are behind it, it is merely a side-effect of your abilities." 

Douglas nodded, but glanced at the clock. 

"Yes, I know you have a date with Kitty. We're finished here, go ahead." 

"Thanks. Later, Professor." Douglas dashed out of the study, not looking back. 

Xavier merely shook his head and rolled his chair towards the basement elevator. _Perhaps Cerebro could find a way for me to scan Cipher harmlessly._

~*()*~ 

"Evening, blonde." 

Douglas waved towards Logan, not really paying attention to the instructor. _Must he call me blonde? In all my years no one's ever called me that. Well, there was the occasional blonde joke, but really. _

"You know, you should really try interacting with the world rather than read through it." Logan snatched the book from its place on the table.  
"Hey! Careful with that! It cost over two hundred dollars to get that copy!" Douglas reached to grab the book back. 

"Tough, kid. Try eating without reading. Even when you're alone." Logan closed the book and headed for the door. 

Douglas ground his teeth, but knew trying to take on the feral mutant would just land him a trip to the infirmary, as well as cleaning the Danger Room. _I was just getting to the good part! Gott verdammt!_

Jean, who was passing by, gave him a strange look and raised an eyebrow. "What're you fuming about?" 

_Just cursing the very existence of Wolverine and praying that his pillow spontaneously combusts some night because he took my book!_ Douglas blinked as he realized he talked to Jean in German. _Damn, I've been talking with Kurt too much._ "What I said was I'm pissed at Logan for taking my book." 

"Ah. Well, why don't you read another book?" Jean pushed her hair back and leaned against the doorway. 

"Because I was getting to the good part and I want to see what happens." Douglas crossed his arms and took on a pouting look. 

Jean tried not to giggle. _He looks cute pouting. I'll have to tell Kitty to try and get him to do it sometime. _"I thought they were just archeology books." 

"But the mythology and the lives of the pharaohs are fascinating! Have you ever just sat down and read about the lives of the children of Gods? I mean, it's laughable, but at the same time it's amazing what they did." 

"I'm sure it is, but maybe you should read another book until Logan decides to give you back the one you were reading." Jean stood up again. "Or you could hang out with Kurt. Or maybe Kitty's free." 

Douglas' cheeks turned a bit red. "I, ah, have a game with her later. But she has to finish her homework. Kurt might be available to talk with, though." He stood up and grabbed his plate. "Thanks." Douglas placed his dishes in the sink and headed for the main staircase. 

Jean smiled after him, but as soon as he was out of sight she frowned. _You have no idea Kurt's upset at you. I hope if you spend some time together you can patch things up._

Douglas paused outside his room. Remembering how his roommate liked to have alone time, he knocked on the door. _It's silly, I know, but it was his room first._

"Come in." 

Douglas opened the door and raised his eyebrows when he saw Kurt hanging from the light fixture. "Are you sure the blood doesn't rush to your head when you're doing that?" He shut the door and took a seat on his bed. 

Kurt shrugged and teleported to his own bed, his tail wrapping around a pillow. He learned his lesson last time, when he broke a bedpost. _Frauline Monroe wasn't happy to find that out._ "What do you want?" 

Douglas rubbed his arm. "I just wanted to see if you wanted to talk or something. I've got time to kill before Kitty can play Scrabble, and Logan took my book. I figured I hadn't been spending much time with you, so I figured we could talk a bit." 

Kurt smirked. _I knew Herr Logan wouldn't like his bookworm habit._ "Well, I don't have much to talk with you about." 

"Oh come on." Douglas grinned. "I talk to you about Kitty all the time. There must be something or someone going on in your life, right?" 

Kurt's face fell momentarily. _No, actually, there isn't._ "Well, there was another prank I was planning with Bobby..." 

"Say no more. I might have to testify against you." Douglas rubbed the back of his head. _Well, he isn't seeing anyone. _"So...would you mind if I set you up on a blind date?" 

Kurt's eyes nearly bugged out at the suggestion. "You can't! Someone would feel the fur or fangs-" 

Douglas held up a hand. "I meant with someone here. Kitty's roommate, Rouge, she's kinda cute. Do you think there's any chance you and she...?" 

Kurt stared at the blond, trying to figure out if he was serious or not. _Well, it's not like we look alike._ "You mean...you don't know?" 

Douglas blinked, tilting his head. "Know what?" 

"Dude, Rouge is my sister." 

"Oh?" It took a minute to completely register with Douglas. "Oh! You mean I just suggested...with your sister? Man, I'm sorry! I had no idea!" 

"It's alright. Not like we advertise it or anything." Kurt tried not to laugh at the disturbed look on his roommate's face. _Obviously that we were related never crossed his mind._

__Kitty chose that moment to phase through the door. "Douglas? Are you, like, ready to play?" 

"Yeah. Um, talk later Kurt?" 

"Ja, I suppose." Kurt hopped off his bed and went out to the balcony. 

Douglas opened his door and stepped out into the hall. 

"Like, what's wrong with fuzzy?" 

"I'm not sure. You could've told me that Rouge was his sister, though." 

"You didn't know?" 

"How could I know?" 

Kurt shook his head at the fading voices. _He wants to set me up for a date. He just doesn't get that I want to date Kitty._ He sighed, gazing into the reflection of the moon on the water. _He's really trying to stay on my good side. It's hard to stay mad at someone like that. _He glanced back towards the door, his tail swishing and curling lazily. _I guess you really can hate and like a person at the same time. _

Logan's voice floated through the door. "Elf. You got one more chore to do." 

Kurt sighed and headed for the hallway. _Maybe I'll figure out a game plan while I'm waxing the X-Jet._

__~*()*~ 

"Like, eugenics is not a word." 

"Is so." Douglas dug into the bag of letters and pulled out seven tiles. "So I used all seven tiles, triple word score..." 

"I challenge." Kitty crossed her arms. 

Douglas sighed and looked over his shoulder, where Hank McCoy was reading on a couch. "Hey, is eugenics a word?" 

"Yes. It's the experimentation and observation of genetic manipulation in living organisms." Beast turned the page of his book. "I do wish you wouldn't use me as a dictionary." 

Douglas smirked. "But you're so much more convenient." 

Kitty giggled as Hank rolled his eyes. "You, like, shouldn't tease him too much. He is the resident doctor, after all." 

"Oh. Good point." Douglas looked at the tiles he had drawn, and wrinkled his nose. "I really wish we could use foreign words." 

"You know the rules." Kitty shifted the tiles around on her stand. _No, that's not enough points._

Douglas let out a heavy, and Kitty was pretty sure, dramatic sigh. "I know. Sometimes rules suck." 

Kitty nodded, smiling. After a minute, she looked up and noticed Douglas had on his thinking face. _Uh oh. Either he's got a really good word cooking up, or his mind's wandering._ "Whatcha thinking about?" 

"Huh? Oh, um...Exodus." 

"Exodus? But you're an atheist." 

"I know, but it's mentioned in the book I was reading. In fact, the way it was written Exodus seemed personified." Douglas ran a hand through his hair. "That's why I was so upset at Logan. Exodus was becoming a more frequent word, and I was hoping for an explanation." 

Kitty furrowed her brow. "Wait, I thought the book was about ancient Egypt." 

"It is. That's why it's so fascinating." Douglas leaned forward and put his hands together. "Either Exodus was predicted by the ancient Egyptians, along with the apocalypse since the two are often used in conjunction, or this is a God no one else has discovered." 

"Really? You think you discovered an undiscovered myth of Egypt?" Kitty forgot about her tiles and sat on the edge of her seat. "No wonder you're so interested in that stuff." 

Douglas nodded. "Archeologists have difficulties translating writings they find, but because of my powers..." 

"It's a snap for you. So why don't you tell someone?" 

"Because it's mentioned in a few other mythologies and in a couple cases, it seems as if Exodus was part of a royal lineage somehow. So I'm trying to figure out if it's something about the Bible, or a bizarre coincidence, like the pyramids in South America and Egypt." 

"Hmm." Kitty rubbed her chin. "Ah!" 

Douglas sat up. "What? You figured it out?" 

"No." She picked up her tiles and placed them on the board. "Lineage. Double word score and triple letter score." 

Douglas' head fell, but he laughed. "You're welcome." 

Kitty laughed as well. _I'll have to get Mr. Logan to give Douglas his book back. If he's going to discover an unknown God...like, that is totally worth him reading while he eats._

~*()*~ 

~*()*~ 

~*()*~ 

Author's Prattle: Sorry it took so long to get this out, but midterms, and now finals, have befallen me. Sorry if this chapter is a bit dull, too, but I need it to help bridge the way to the big climax. I figure one more school-based chapter and then we can get to the good stuff. Again, if you know what I'm doing, don't spoil it for others. Cipher and Kitty are going to be together for the rest of the fic, but Kurt will be there too. The triangle will expand and grow, but we're about halfway through the fic (I hope), so it will end eventually. And for you Jamie fans, there you go. More Jamie. 

Disclaimers. Of course, I don't own X-Men Evolution, its characters or settings. Nor do I own Cipher or the mysterious villain (who you might already know if you're well versed in the X-Men genre). They all belong to Marvel, and probably a few other people, but not me. I'm just using artistic license to write for fun. 

So, until the next chapter, hope you enjoyed reading and reviews are always welcome! 


	8. Brotherhood Battle

**Cipher's Elegy**

_By Cypher_

__Chapter Seven: Brotherhood Battle 

Douglas tried not to yawn as the English teacher lectured on about some poem the class had read last night. He had found the poem dull, and in his mind, childish. Still, he read it to pass the test. Having taken that test, though, he was now bored. Logan had given back his book finally, but if he pulled it out he knew the teacher would notice him not paying attention. So he doodled Egyptian hieroglyphs on a sheet of binder paper, barely listening to the world around him. 

Something hit the back of his head, and he frowned, glancing over his shoulder. Most of the other students looked as bored as he was, but one, the kid named Pietro, was grinning, and trying to look innocent. _What the hell is he up to._ Not seeing any evidence, however, Douglas went back to his doodles, realizing for the first time that he had begun intermixing Egyptian hieroglyphs with Grecian symbols. _Amazing what happens when you let your mind wander-ow!_ He rubbed the back of his head and noticed a piece of eraser had fallen on his desk. _He's throwing eraser bits? _He felt another hit his head. _Just ignore him. He's trying to get a rise out of you._

Pietro smirked and ripped apart another eraser, placing the smaller pieces on the palm of one hand and flicked them at Douglas' head with the other. _Come on, new guy. Just get annoyed enough to fight us at lunch. It's time the Brotherhood welcomed you to the area._

Douglas gripped his poetry book, twisting it slightly. _Don't let him get to you...don't let him get to you..._ He grit his teeth as Pietro launched yet another round at him. _That's it!_ Silently he twisted in his seat and hurled the book at the white-haired teen. 

Pietro, focusing on the erasers, didn't notice the book until he felt its impact on his face, its force causing him to fall out of his seat. "Shit!" 

Despite the fact that Douglas was silent, the teacher did notice the altercation. "Mr. Ramsey! Maximoff!" 

"I got tired of being used as target practice." Douglas crossed his arms. "It was self defense." 

"No way!" Pietro got to his feet, leaving the book on the ground, but unconsciously gripping some eraser pieces in his hand. "That was unprovoked!" He rubbed his nose. 

"Who has the eraser droppings around his desk?" 

Pietro was about to respond with a snide comment, but the teacher spoke up first. "Alright, both of you go to the principal. You can settle it there." 

Douglas opened his mouth to protest, but the angry glare from the instructor caused him to change his mind. Grumbling in Latin, he gathered his things and headed for the door, pausing only a moment to pick up his textbook. 

Pietro followed Douglas out and made sure the door was closed before dashing in front of the blond mutant. "Think you're smart, huh?" 

"Leave me alone." Douglas tried to step around him. 

Pietro moved to block his way once more. "Don't think you can get away with this." 

Douglas growled. "Get away with what? You instigated this fight." 

"Yeah, but who do you think the principal will believe? You, a new student, or me-" 

"A social deviant who's flunking and has a criminal record." 

Pietro's jaw dropped a moment, then it was his turn to growl. "Why you-" 

"I don't know what you've got against me, Speedy Gonzalaz, but get over it." Douglas pushed past Pietro again. 

Pietro, not willing to let him get in the last word, stepped in his path. "You-" 

Douglas didn't pause in his walking. He simply glared and kept his pace steady. 

Not wanting to collide, Pietro stepped back. He had to take three more as Douglas' pace increased. _What's he doing?_ He finally stepped to the side, allowing Douglas to pass and head directly towards the Principal's door. _Weirdo. But how dare he...he..._ Pietro rubbed his nose. _He's going to get it. Real soon._

~*()*~ 

"You, like, threw a book at him?" 

"I got sick and tired of him throwing stuff at my head." Douglas set his literature book in his locker and pulled out his lunch. "Principal Kelly was very understanding, and just gave me a warning. Ironically, Pietro's reputation saved me." 

Kitty shook her head, hugging her binder to her chest. "You'd better be careful. The Brotherhood'll come after you." 

"Because I defended myself?" 

"Because you pissed off Pietro." She headed for the quad, Douglas at her side. "So, did you, like, say anything else to him?" 

"I called him Speedy Gonzalaz." 

Kitty giggled. "That must've surprised him." 

"Not as much as I'd hoped, but I'm not going to let him intimidate me. I went through part of my life relenting to bullies like him. I'm not going to do it again." Douglas looked around and spotted Scott on the opposite side of the room. "There they are." 

"Cool." Kitty headed for the lunch line. "I'll see you in a few, alright?" 

"Alright." Douglas wove his way through the crowd and sat down opposite the team leader. 

Scott eyed the paper bag Douglas was looking through. "Why don't you buy lunch here like the rest of us?" 

"I did that at private school. Compared to that, the food here should be fed to the dogs. Besides, I want to save my money." 

"The school pays for it." 

Douglas shrugged. "Then I just don't like the food they serve." 

Evan sat down near Scott, followed by Kurt, who frowned when he saw Douglas there. The facial expression went unnoticed by the other mutants. 

Scott sighed and looked at the food on his tray. After a minute, he pushed it towards Kurt. "Thanks for ruining it for me." 

Kurt offered the milk carton to Evan, and dug into the two meals in front of him. 

Kitty arrived a few minutes later with her own tray of food and took a seat next to Douglas, kissing him on the cheek briefly. 

Douglas smiled and pulled out a few items from his bag. He noticed one of the Brotherhood members, the one named Lance, glare at him before stepping outside. _Maybe I'd better stick close to Kitty or Kurt for the next few days._ Douglas' eyes flitted to his roommate, and his smile shrunk slightly. Five weeks had passed since he had arrived, and for the past four weeks, it seemed that Kurt had become colder and less friendly each day. Douglas had tried to keep the friendship up. He tried setting him up on a date with a New Mutant (in retrospect, Amara probably wasn't the best choice), tried talking in German about Germany, about his life, he even tried inviting Kurt to get some food and hang out. Nothing seemed to work. _He's still there, he's still polite, but it's...it's like he hates me._

At one point, Douglas pondered asking Xavier to change rooms. Jamie had grown rather fond of him, and he didn't have a roommate. Douglas found out a little later that the Professor kept Jamie alone because he was younger than the other mutants. That idea squashed, Douglas then investigated the other New Mutants' room situations, even Bobby Drake's, though that risked being the first to suffer from his pranks. Sadly, all of them either had a roommate, or a legitimate reason for being alone. _Who knew Sam sleep walked. Well, sleep flew._ Apparently the Southern mutant had a tendency to suddenly launch around the room while he was dreaming. _Certainly explains all the dents and scuff marks on the ceiling and walls._

Still, Douglas wanted his relationship with Kurt to survive, and the way it was going, he wasn't sure it would. _How do you stay roommates with a person you can't even be friends with?_ Douglas was not, however, a quitter. _I'll figure something out. Maybe he needs more alone time. Yeah, that could be it. Privacy is a big thing with him. _

"What? Have I got a piece of food on my face or something?" 

Douglas blinked a couple times, and realized he had spent the last few minutes staring at Scott. Blushing slightly, he mumbled an apology and went back to his lunch. 

Scott and the other mutants exchanged confused glances. 

Kitty simply shrugged. "He was probably just thinking. He stares when he does, and doesn't even know it." 

"Still...did he have to stare at me?" Scott ran a hand through his hair self-consciously, making sure it wasn't out of place. 

Evan rolled his eyes and finished off another carton of milk. "I've said it before and I'll say it again, you've got a weird roommate." 

Kurt finished off one of his school hamburgers. "Ja, I know." 

~*()*~ 

"So, the Saddie Hawkins is next week, and I was just wondering if you'd, like, want to go with...with...Douglas, are you okay?" Kitty rested a hand on Douglas' arm, steadying him. 

Douglas took a few minutes to steady his breathing. "I'm...I'm sorry. I'd...I'd love to...it's just..." 

Kitty nodded and patted the arm she was holding While Douglas' shyness had dissipated quite a bit, Kitty kept in mind that she was the first girl that Douglas had ever gone out with, and he was still easily flustered. "Great. So, like, we'll catch a ride with Scott." 

"Sounds fine...fine. Yeah..." Douglas sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Sorry. I'll have my mind back in order in a second." 

"It's alright." She smiled and held his hand. They had decided to walk home, as it was a nice autumn day, and Kitty saw it as an opportunity to ask him to the dance. _I wonder what I should wear. It's semiformal, so nothing too fancy..._

"Hey, Pretty Kitty." 

Kitty groaned, but tensed when she noticed Lance was in his Brotherhood uniform. _Uh oh._

Douglas stepped closer, and somewhat in front of her, protectively. _What is going on today? Two annoying teenagers in one day? Is there a full moon or equinox I don't know about?_

"What do you want, Lance." 

"Your boyfriend," Lance sneered at that word, "picked on the wrong guy today." 

"Excuse me? Pietro, like, picked on him first." 

"He still attacked a Brotherhood member." Lance stepped forward. "Now he's got to face us." 

"Forget it, Lance. Come on, Douglas. Let's get outta here." Kitty tugged Douglas' arm and pulled him towards the Institute. 

"Not this time, Kitty." Lance put his hands out and rolled his eyes back. 

Douglas fell to a knee as the ground became unstable. Rather than focus on Lance, he looked around for Kitty. He found her also on the ground, but getting over the initial shock, as rising waves of dirt phased right through her. _Guess she's fine._ He turned to face Lance again, only to find himself suddenly moving very quickly away from the earthquake-causing mutant. "Huh?" 

"Told ya we'd get ya." 

Douglas felt an arm around his waist, and realized that Pietro was brining him away from Kitty and the Institute. _Well shit. This just ruins my day._ He narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out what to do. After a few seconds, he lashed out his leg and hooked it around one of Pietro's. 

"Waah!" Pietro fell face first onto the ground. 

Douglas rolled away and spit out the dirt that had gotten in his mouth. _That was less than graceful._ He stood up and looked around, trying to get his bearings. _Which way to the Institute?_

"You're gonna pay for that, blonde." 

Douglas turned to face the new voice, and ended up looking over the very large stomach of the Blob. _Uh oh._ Knowing he wouldn't be able to take on the larger mutant, he turned and bolted, guessing which way the Institute was. _Not good. Not good. NOW I see why the Professor wanted me to be able to contact him._

~*()*~ 

Kitty stood up and looked around, trying to find where Douglas was, or at least Lance. Unfortunately, neither teen was in view, but she did spot Douglas' book bag. "Oh no..." ~Professor! The Brotherhood has Douglas!~ 

~Calm down, Kitty. Do you know which way they went?~ 

~No. Professor, he can't stand up against them! We have to find him!~ 

~He's stronger than he seems, Kitty. I'm sending Kurt. He'll help you begin to track him. Bobby is also nearby, so he'll join you. Don't worry. We'll find him.~ 

Kitty picked up Douglas' bag and shouldered it with her own. _I just hope we find him before he's been hurt too much._

"Kitty!" 

Kitty turned and hurried towards Kurt. He had changed into his X-Men uniform, and his yellow eyes were looking her over. She knew he was checking to make sure she was okay. She spotted Bobby running up behind the blue mutant, icing himself over as he approached. "Thanks for coming so quickly." 

"What happened?" Bobby looked around, rubbing his hands together. He was itching to put his training to good use. 

"Avalanche. I think Quicksilver took them away from here, but where, I'm not sure." Kitty handed Douglas' bag to Bobby. 

Bobby begrudgingly took it, not really wanting to be a bellhop. "So what do we do?" 

Kurt examined the ground, sniffing slightly. While his senses weren't as sharp as Logan's, they could pick up things normal humans couldn't. _Including scent. _He glanced at Kitty, knowing that she was hoping he could find the right way to go. _If I mislead her, she'll be upset at me, and probably wouldn't leave Douglas' side. On the other hand, though, if I lead her right to him, she'll be grateful, but stay with him._ His shoulders slumped. _Wunderbar. No matter what I end up without her._ And, deep down, while he didn't like Douglas, he didn't want anything too serious to happen to him. 

Bobby stepped forward. "Any luck?" 

Kurt nodded, his tail curling a moment. "This way." Kurt ran towards the edge of a park, the edge that began as a forest. 

Bobby and Kitty ran after him. _We're coming, Douglas. Just hold on._

~*()*~ 

"You're not going anywhere." 

Douglas yelped as something slimy and strong wrapped around his ankle and pulled him to the ground. Grunting, he tested the strength of whatever held him, and decided the weight wasn't that great. He planted his hands on the ground and swung his leg around, dragging whoever was anchoring the restraint with it. He managed to catch a glimpse of what had caught him. _A tongue?_ He felt a vibration travel up the appendage, and it went lax. _Guess he hit a tree._ The tongue retreated from his leg and he flipped up, getting into a defensive stance. _I'm SO glad for those yoga lessons. Wolverine's training, too. I'd be in such pain now, otherwise. _He spotted the owner of the tongue groaning and rubbing his head. _Toad, I think._

"Yo, you didn't have to do it that hard." 

Douglas rolled his eyes and looked around, trying to find any of the other Brotherhood members. Not seeing any, he decided to be bold and stalked up to the smaller mutant. 

Toad backed up, not liking the determined look in Douglas' blue eyes. "I'm outta here." He turned to jump away. 

Douglas tackled him and wrapped an arm around Toad's neck, cutting off his air momentarily. _Easy, easy. Logan showed you these, but never how to keep it non-lethal. Just...don't apply too much pressure._ "Where's the Institute." 

"Huh?" Toad's eyes searched the woods, hoping one of his friends would show up. _Maybe he really is Wolverine's protégé._ He struggled in Douglas' grip. 

Douglas tightened his hold, causing Toad to wheeze. "Which way to get to the Institute? Just point and I'll let you go." 

Toad hesitated a moment, then pointed to the left of where he was standing. "Now let me go, yo?" 

Douglas sighed through his nose and shoved Toad away, running where Toad pointed. However, the ground started rumbling before he got far. "Crap." 

"Time to rock your world." Avalanche pulled his arm up, throwing the ground beneath Douglas upward, and the blond mutant back to where he was when Toad had caught him. 

"Get a better catch phrase, moron." Douglas pushed himself up, but got shoved back to the ground by a meaty hand. _Damn. Blob caught up._

"Let's see how much you like getting picked on." Blob lifted a foot. 

Douglas rolled out of the way and got to his feet again, swinging his arms to keep his balance as Avalanche kept the ground shaking. _This isn't going well._

Quicksilver came into his vision and landed a fist in his stomach. "Not so tough now, are ya." 

Douglas coughed and held his stomach, but smirked slightly. "I'm not the one with dirt on his face." 

Quicksilver turned a bit red, and responded by running around Douglas, forming a small vortex. 

Douglas, shielding his face, flew into the air. _Think, think, THINK!_ _You can figure a way out of this! You can!...can't you?_

"Hah hah, he doesn't look so good." Toad smirked. This sight was worth nearly choking. 

_Look so good...green...of course! _Douglas shifted his weight, trying to turn upside-down in the vortex. _Just a little longer. Have to upset the stomach._

"Think you can hit him with a stick?" Avalanche tossed a stick to the Blob. 

"I'll try." The Blob took aim. 

_Hurry...hurry...okay, let's hope he's enough of a teen to react normally. _Feeling bile rise in his throat, Douglas began retching, trying to aim for where Quicksilver was running. 

"Gross. He's gonna puke." 

Quicksilver immediately stopped running and put his hands on his hips as Douglas fell towards the ground. "Not on me he's not." 

_Okay, change of plans._ Douglas swallowed the acidic substance in his throat and managed to snag a branch. _Don't want to die from a fall. _Grunting, he pulled himself up on the branch and clung to the trunk. _Not much better, but at least I'm out of the winds._

"He was just faking, Toad. Geeze, you're so stupid at times." Avalanche's eyes rolled back as he shook the ground beneath the tree. 

_I'm dead._ Douglas debated the wisdom in using the Blob as a landing cushion, when he felt a hand wrap around his waist. Glancing to the side, he caught a bit of blue fur. _Kurt._ A moment later he felt himself on solid ground. "Thanks." 

"Douglas!" Kitty rushed forward and hugged him. 

Kurt slunk back. _I knew it._

Douglas patted Kitty's back, then smiled at Kurt. "Thanks, man. I wasn't going to be able to hang out much longer." 

"No problem." Kurt's tail lashed at a shrub. 

"Uh, guys. I think we should get out of here." Bobby iced the ground and turned towards the others. "The Brotherhood's coming." 

"Right. Everyone touch Nightcrawler." Kitty, her hand around Douglas' waist, rested her hand on Kurt's shoulder. Bobby placed his hand on Kurt's shoulder, and a second later the four of them were outside the gates of the Institute. 

"Well," Bobby clapped his hands together as he deiced his body, "we showed them." 

Douglas rested his head against Kitty's shoulder. "No, we didn't, but thanks for saying so." 

~*()*~ 

"For a scrape with the Brotherhood, you got off pretty well." Hank McCoy set down the chart he was holding and smiled at Douglas. "Congratulations. A few bruises and a minor concussion." 

"If it were anyone else they would've had even less." Douglas pulled his shirt back on, wincing slightly as the fabric rubbed against the sore spot on his head. 

"Not really. Kurt was once ambushed by the Brotherhood and he ended up with similar wounds. Just because your powers are internalized doesn't mean you didn't handle the situation to the best of your ability." 

Douglas remembered the look on Toad's face when he had him in that death grip. "I guess..." 

Hank patted his shoulder. "You did well. I'm going to recommend Logan skip your training session today, but tomorrow you'll probably be fine." 

"Thanks." Douglas slipped off the table. "What time is it, anyway?" 

"Only five. Why do you ask?" 

"I wasn't sure how long the attack took. I kinda lost sense of time when it began." Running a hand through the front of his hair, he headed for the exit of the infirmary. "See you around, Mr. McCoy." 

"Indeed." 

Douglas crossed his arms and headed for the elevator. He could hear the Danger Room running, and the telltale sounds of mutants using their powers. _X-Team must be practicing._ He pushed the call button for the elevator and waited, considering what had happened. _Did I fight back to the best of my ability? I ran most of the time. Hell, that was my sole goal, to get away. Does that make me a coward?_

"Douglas, are you going in?" 

"GAH!" Douglas jumped back, nearly hitting his head against the wall. "You scared me, Professor!" 

"I apologize." Xavier rolled his wheelchair into the elevator. "The lift had been open for a few minutes and you hadn't noticed. I wanted to make sure you were okay." 

Douglas patted his chest, taking deep breaths to calm down. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking." He stepped inside the cylinder-shaped device and pushed the ground floor button. 

Xavier steepled his hands and looked at him. "Douglas," 

"I don't want to talk about it, Professor." 

"I wasn't going to say that." 

Douglas glanced at him, sticking his hands in his pockets. "Sorry." 

"It's alright. I was going to say you did well, today. Kitty explained what happened. You were ambushed. You don't have to blame yourself." 

"I'm not. I'm just...thinking." 

Xavier continued observing him. "I don't need my powers to see that whatever you're thinking is bothering you." 

Douglas wrinkled his nose. "I still don't want to talk about it." He stepped out as the elevator came to the surface level. He paused, and looked over his shoulder. "But...thanks for asking." 

Xavier bowed his head, keeping his eyes on the teenager until the doors closed and the lift continued its ascent. 

Douglas headed for the main stairs, waving at Jamie and his dozen or so clones playing tag. Bobby was off in the corner, and Douglas managed to hear enough to know he was telling the others how he helped in the fight. _Probably leaving out he was carrying my bag._ Climbing the stairs, he smiled at Ororo watering a plant, and made a direct beeline for his room. 

Once inside, he knew he wasn't alone. He got the tingling feeling in the base of his spine that he often felt when Kurt was staring at him. Turning around, he found not Kurt, but Logan standing on the opposite side of the room. He was leaning against the wall, arms and legs crossed, and his eyes were staring directly at him. Hunching his shoulders slightly, Douglas didn't make eye contact and made his way to his bed, sitting on it and folding his hands together. 

Logan watched the kid for a few minutes. He didn't know what had happened after Douglas was taken from Kitty's sight, but from the body language and from how distracted he seemed to Charles while they shared an elevator, he had an idea. "You got in a fight." 

"Yeah." Douglas fiddled with his fingers. 

"You ran, didn't you." 

Douglas flinched. It wasn't a question, but a statement. "Yeah." 

Logan pursed his lips. In all honesty, he wasn't surprised. True, the kid had worked hard in training, and was starting to hold his own against some of the other mutants. However, for all the sparring sessions where he passed Logan's test, he was never really enthusiastic about it. Once he had overheard Douglas talking with the New Mutants at dinner, and admitted he was a pacifist at heart, and would rather turn from a battle and get a bad reputation than face the attackers. _Add to that the Blob and mutants with abilities superior to his own..._

"I'm sorry I disappointed you." 

Logan sighed. He had the advantage of age and an aura of intimidation. If he was in Douglas' place, a shy and barely apt fighter, he supposed he might run as well. Walking over, he patted the blond's shoulder. "I'm not disappointed, kid. You did the right thing." 

Douglas looked up at him. "I ran. Isn't that...cowardice?" 

"Not when you're outgunned and outnumbered. You made the right choice, and I'm not disappointed. You did the best someone in your situation could." 

Douglas bit his lip, staring at the floor. After a moment, he looked up again and gave Logan a small smile. "Thanks, Logan." 

Logan grunted. "Don't mention it." With that he opened the door and left. _Should talk to Chuck about his self-esteem. It tends to crash easily._

Douglas watched the door for a few minutes, then rolled onto his bed and stared at his ceiling. _Guess I should count this as a win...and move on._ And knowing that no one considered his actions wrong or pathetic, Douglas felt okay with doing that. 

~*()*~ 

~*()*~ 

~*()*~ 

Author's Prattle: This one came out in a flurry. Two days, actually. Amazing what you'll do to avoid studying for finals. Not much to say this chapter. I do want to apologize for any misspellings of Peitro's name or the dance's name. Also, words between two ~ indicates telepathy. 

Disclaimers. I don't own Evo, it's characters or settings. I also don't own Cipher. They both belong to Marvel. I don't own Speedy Gonzalaz either. That's a Warner Brothers character.  
Reviews are always welcome. Until next time! 


	9. Dance and Discovery

**Cipher's Elegy**

_By Cypher_

__Chapter Eight: Dance and Discovery 

"Are you sure you won't change your mind? This dance only comes around once a year." Douglas ran his hand through his hair. Kitty had told him to keep the wild look, even at the dance, but he wanted it a bit more tame than usual. 

Kurt watched him out of the corner of his eye. Hating and envying his roommate, while at the same time feeling glad that the blond's shy shell was cracking away. _But does it have to be with my Kaetzchen?_ "I'm sure." 

"That girl probably hasn't changed her mind. You could wear gloves or something." 

Kurt snorted. It wasn't his hands he was worried she would feel while they were dancing. "I'll be fine. I promised to teach Jamie chess." 

Douglas nodded and fiddled with his bow tie. _One good thing about having diplomatic parents is you learn how to dress up pretty young._ "Isn't he a bit old to just be learning?" 

"That's what I said." Kurt tapped his fingers against the bed spread. His tail was currently buried beneath his covers squeezing his pillow to death. "So I thought I'd teach him." 

"Well, have fun." Douglas smiled and modeled for his blue furred friend. The dance was semiformal, but he had still opted a tuxedo. _Don't want to make a faux pas at my first school dance._ "How do I look?" 

Kurt tried to find a cutting remark in his mind, something that was ambiguous and possibly insulting. Unfortunately, looking at the grinning teen, all he could do was sigh and mutter, "Great. She'll love it." 

"Thanks. I'm really kinda nervous." Douglas checked his watch. Scott had told him to be ready to go at seven. It was only six-forty. "You, um, have any advice? You have been to more than me." 

Kurt shook his head and waved. "No. Just...go." 

Douglas furrowed his brow, again feeling that Kurt was trying to blow off their friendship. _What is with him? I'm supportive, I'm polite, I'm kind. What the hell do I have to do to get him to like me again?_ Now, however, was not the time to get into that, and he nodded. "Alright. Um...see you when I get back." 

"Yeah, whatever." 

Douglas left the room and shut the door, frowning and leaning against it. _Maybe Kitty knows what's going on. Or Rouge. She is his sister._ He shifted a bit uneasily at that thought. _Rouge always has kinda...unnerved me, though._ Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he headed down the hall to the main staircase. _Maybe Jean could do a quick scan and tell me. Though that's not exactly ethical..._

"Worried about tonight, eh?" Bobby swatted Douglas' back, causing the older mutant to stumble a bit. "Sorry." 

"Oh, um, don't worry about it." Douglas blinked and rubbed the back of his head. "Say, Bobby, do you--um, why do you have a water balloon in your hand? This is a rental, you know, and I really don't want to have to pay for this suit-" 

"Don't worry. It's not for you. Roberto just has something coming to him after pulling a particular stunt during training." Bobby tossed the balloon to his other hand. 

Douglas tilted his head. He had been at practice that day, but he couldn't recall Roberto doing anything overtly offending to Bobby. "What'd he do?" 

"Don't you remember? When he set my outfit on fire?" 

Douglas' eyes narrowed and he stared past Bobby a minute, trying to remember. _Well, there was that time smoke was rising behind those trees, and Rahne laughing..._ "No, I don't. I don't think I saw it." 

Bobby grumbled. "Well, he and Sam have been laughing about it all night. Not any more, though. Once this oil-based paint hits their heads..." 

Douglas held up his hands and quickly retreated towards the stairs. "Don't tell me. I don't want to be an accessory. Just...try not to lead them to Kurt's room, kay?" 

Bobby laughed and headed down the hall. 

Douglas shook his head and went down the stairs, noticing Scott standing at the entrance. _Kurt's room. I still think of it as his room and I'm just...visiting or something. The way he's been treating me, maybe that's what it is._

"Nervous about tonight, man?" 

Douglas' eye twitched. "Why does everyone keep asking me that? Of course I'm nervous! I'm worried! I'm scared! Is everyone happy? Did everyone hear me?" 

Scott placed a hand on the younger mutant's shoulder. "Hey, calm down. You just looked like you had something on your mind." 

"According to Mr. McCoy, I have an IQ off the chart and my neurons shoot off three times greater than a normal human's. I always have something on my mind. Tons on my mind. It's just how I am, okay?" 

Scott's mouth turned up in a small, quirky grin. "You're really nervous about tonight, getting riled over something so small." 

Douglas leaned his head back and rubbed his temples. "At the risk of sounding like Kitty, like duh!" 

Scott laughed and patted Douglas' shoulder. "You'll do fine, man. Just relax." 

_Easy for you to say. You've been doing popular things since...what, you were ten?_

"Here they come. Stand tall and smile." 

Douglas nodded and did as Scott said. The attempt to look good was compromised, however, when his jaw hit the floor. 

Kitty was slowly descending the stairs, wearing a simple strapless cyan-aqua dress with white arm-length gloves. Her hair was done up without the usual ponytail, and, and Douglas was pretty sure he spotted some sparkles around her almond eyes. _Wow..._

Jean wore a more conservative, and traditional, emerald dress with matching gloves, her hair hanging freely. She went over to Scott, who extended his arm. 

Kitty stopped a few feet from Douglas and smiled, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "You look, um, very handsome." 

Douglas tried, for the life of him, to get his brain to work, to say something intelligent and complimentary. All he could manage, though, was, "God..." 

"Douglas? Are you, like, okay?" 

His eyes roamed over Kitty's outfit once again. "Oh God..." 

"I think you fried his mother board." Scott chuckled and patted Douglas' back, jolting the blond mutant. "Come on, man. Pull it together." 

Douglas blinked a few times and nodded. Blood rushed to his cheeks and he looked away, shakily holding up a corsage. "H-here. Th-this is for you." 

Kitty took it and put it on, knowing Douglas wouldn't know he was supposed to. She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Thanks. Come on, let's go get in the car." 

Douglas nodded again as Kitty took his arm and led him out the door. _Oh God...she's gorgeous...and all you can do is remember to be shy. Great, Douglas. Really great..._

__~*()*~ 

Kurt watched the whole exchange from within the shadows at the top of the stairs. While on one hand, he was laughing at Douglas' reaction, on the other he knew he would've reacted just as badly. _She really did look great. Why couldn't she see that I'm a nice guy...and ask me out?_ His tail swished dangerously near to a vase. _Little blond jerk. _

"Gang way!" 

Kurt yelped and teleported to the central chandelier as Bobby practically ran into him on his way down the main staircase. "What's going on?" 

"Can't talk now gotta run!" Bobby was smirking as he spoke, but he failed to slow down. 

Kurt scratched his head, then saw the reason for the hasty retreat. Roberto and Sam, both covered with some sort of paint, were barreling after him. In Sam's case, he was practically flying. _Wonder what that was about._

"Kurt? Are you going to teach me or what?" 

Kurt craned his neck practically 180 degrees and spotted Jamie in the doorway to the rec room, a box of chess in his hands. He teleported next to the youngest mutant and put on a grin, even though he really didn't feel it. "Of course, Jamie. Now, where should we play?" He winced as he heard a crash emanate from the kitchen. "Other than the kitchen?" _Those three get into as much trouble as me without even trying that hard._

__~*()*~ 

Douglas shifted nervously as he, Scott, and their respective dates entered the school gym. Being his first dance, he wasn't sure what to expect. The fact that Kitty looked so good, and that she hadn't let go of his arm since they got in the car, wasn't helping to calm his mind down enough to formulate a plan. _I should've read more on dating. Or maybe asked the Professor for some advice..._

"Like, this is so much better than last year." Kitty pulled Douglas towards the dance floor. 

_Dance...oh god. I haven't done any research on dancing! _True, he knew how to slow dance, and do all the respectful ones played at diplomatic banquets, but the fast paced music currently playing certainly didn't seem to fit the criteria for those types of dances. _I'm going to look like an idiot._ Swallowing audibly, he waved his arms feebly, trying to mimic Kitty. 

Scott practically hit his forehead. "Poor kid. Doesn't he know how to dance?" 

"Apparently not. But I'm sure he'll figure it out soon enough. I mean, he knows all those moves Logan taught him. He just needs to...redirect how they're used." Jean tossed her hair over her shoulder. 

"Yeah, but he may need someone to tell him that." 

"I'm sure Kitty will. Eventually." 

Truth be told, Kitty's eyes were currently closed, completely absorbed in the rhythmic beat echoing around her. Douglas stared at her, watching her dance, then his face hardened a bit and he looked around. _I can do this. For Kitty. Just...think of it as one of Wolverine's fighting lessons. Study the basic moves, and extrapolate from that._ Unfortunately, the dance moves seemed more erratic than any fight moves, but Douglas was able to discern a rough pattern. His mind began constructing dance moves from it, giving him an idea of what to do. _Okay...here goes nothing._

~*()*~ 

"Checkmate." 

Kurt scratched his head. "You're sure you've never played before?" 

Jamie grinned and marked another tally on a piece of paper. "Yep. But it's not as hard as I thought it'd be." 

_Either he's lying, which I doubt, or I've gotten really rusty at playing._ Kurt bet it was the latter. It had been years since he'd played. _And now I've lost, what, ten bucks because of it?_

"So why didn't you go to the dance?" 

Kurt frowned and began setting up his side of the board again. "I just didn't want to. Besides, what if she wanted a goodnight kiss? She'd feel my fur right away." 

"There's nothing that says you have to kiss a girl, is there?" 

Kurt shrugged. "It's customary, I think. It was just more of a hassle than I wanted to deal with." _And I didn't want to spend the night watching the girl of my dreams dance with my roommate._

"Oh." Jamie set up his side of the board as well. "Is...did you and Douglas have a fight?" 

Kurt blinked and stared at Jamie. "Why?" 

"It's...I've noticed Douglas seems a bit down, and when I suggested he talk to you, that seemed to depress him further. So...are you two having a fight?" 

Kurt rested his chin on his hand. _Well, it's having the effect I want, but now I've upset Jamie._ "Not really, no. We've just...got some differences. Like Rouge and Kitty, ja?" 

Jamie crossed his arms and rested them on his lap. "Well, um, could you try and be a bit friendly? I don't like seeing either of you upset." 

"I'm upset?" 

Jamie nodded a bit. "It...just seems like you are." 

Kurt raised his eyebrows. _I didn't think it was that obvious, not even to telepaths._ Of course, Jamie was like an adopted brother. _Like I could hide something from family._ Before he could respond though, Bobby barreled through the room, two enraged mutants on his tail. 

Sam, in his haste, knocked Jamie off his seat, causing four replicas to appear as he landed on the ground. 

Kurt sighed and shook his head. "Looks like we can't even play here." 

Jamie glanced at his multiples, and all five nodded their heads simultaneously. 

~*()*~ 

"You were like, so cool tonight. I didn't know you could dance like that." 

Scott and Jean exchanged an amused glance, while Douglas shrugged sheepishly. _Neither did I, to be honest. I swore I was going to pull something, or step on your toes or some dumb thing._ It was nearly eleven, and the dance had gone fairly well. After his initial awkwardness, Douglas had managed to figure out enough dance moves to keep up with Kitty. Of course, once he had, the slow songs began, where his diplomatic dance lessons became useful. It took a couple dances, but his blush at having Kitty so close to him, even resting her head against his shoulder, finally dimmed down to a reasonable shade that it was practically unnoticeable. 

Scott had kept a close eye on the two of them, especially Douglas, and made sure they didn't get too close, but also to make sure Douglas was okay. After they had seemed to get comfortable, though, he had turned his focus on Jean. _They're pretty mature. Nothing to worry about there._ He did worry a little when around ten the two of them vanished for nearly a half hour, but Jean made contact with Kitty and discovered the two of them just went on a quiet walk in the fresh air. After that, though, Scott decided they should head home. Especially because of the young mutants. 

So, here they were, back at the Institute and walking towards the main entrance. Scott and Jean walking ahead of the younger dating pair. Kitty was once again holding onto Douglas' arm, and this time Douglas wasn't speechless or stunned. He was smiling. Quite broadly. Scott and Jean inside when they reached the front door, but Kitty hung back, not wanting to go in just yet. 

Douglas pondered the wisdom in this move. Last time they had stood outside the front of the Institute, he had nearly broken his nose walking into the glass. _I've matured a lot since then. I won't make the same mistake again._

"So, like, I had a wonderful time. Thanks for coming." 

Douglas took Kitty's other hand as he faced her, still smiling. "Thanks for asking me. I...don't think I'd ever have gotten up the nerve to ask you." 

Kitty swung their arms lightly. "I was glad to." 

Douglas watched her for a minute, just admiring how her face seemed to glow in this light. _I think...this is where I kiss her._ Feeling more confident then he had a month ago, he leaned down slightly. 

Kitty, already knowing this was going to happen, decided not to wait for him, and quickly closed the distance between them, wrapping her arms around his neck as their lips met. 

Douglas tensed momentarily, but slid his arms around her waist, his eyes closing. _This is...so much better than last time and--is that her tongue?_

Neither teen broke the intimate contact for a long time, not even when Ororo came out to see what was keeping her from locking up. It took the Professor mentally telling all students to turn before Kitty hesitantly broke the contact, panting. 

Douglas, as out of breath as her, gave her an odd look, before noticing one of their teachers standing there with her arms crossed. Feeling yet another blush rise up his cheeks, though not from shyness, he smiled at Kitty. "Um...goodnight." 

"Yeah...goodnight." 

Both teenagers said nothing more and headed for their rooms. 

Ororo shook her head and locked the front door. "To be young again..." 

~*()*~ 

Douglas glanced over the edge of his book to look across the room at his sleeping roommate. The blue mutant was practically burrowed in his blankets, his tail twitching over the end over his footboard and his arms wrapped around his pillows. Except for a few abrupt twists every now and then, he seemed to be sleeping peacefully. _Lucky stiff._ Douglas ran a hand through his hair and glanced at his book. It was a recent book his museum friend had sent him, this one detailing Exodus as a count in France. _Why a God would be in France impersonating some count when he could be ruling tribes in Egypt, I'll never know._ Turning off the reading lamp he had on, he got up and set his book down only long enough to put on his robe, and quietly slipped out of his room, heading for the library. 

Normally he wouldn't be up at two in the morning. His internal clock was usually set to shut his conscious mind down at midnight. One at the latest. But tonight, tonight he just couldn't. Not with everything that had happened. The way Kitty had looked, the way their dancing seemed to elevate them to the clouds themselves, and the kiss. What a kiss. He hadn't been kissed like that ever, and now his heart, his adrenaline, every part of his body was in overdrive, and he couldn't shut it down, no matter what he did. Having finished his homework (and received a sleepy glare from Nightcrawler until he stopped tapping his pencil against his math book), he had turned to Finnegan's Wake. Mr. McCoy had suggested reading it a while ago, and Douglas eagerly devoured the enigmatic text. 

_Actually, it was rather simple when you realized that it wasn't a bunch of different dialects, but a completely new language. What an ironic twist at the end. That James Joyce was a genius._ Still, something about that had nagged at him. Not so much the book, or the language, but the style seemed...eerily familiar. After rereading parts of it, he returned to the book of Exodus he was studying. There were...startling similarities. At first Douglas wrote it off as coincidence, or his mind not being fully awake. It had been hours since his last infusion of caffeine, after all. But there was more. Far more. 

So, now having finished the latest book, he was bringing it to the library where the rest of his books on the Exodus mystery had ended up. Part of him still advocated that this was some sort of biblical mentioning with some poorly written personification. _Still...there's just too many coincidences. Maybe it was an Egyptian God that...that some French guy discovered and adopted the persona of._ That seemed more plausible. 

Entering the library, he shut the door and turned on the light. _No one's here. Good._ Setting the book on the table, he scanned the bookshelves and pulled out his other books, opening each to where they mentioned Exodus. Then he grabbed one final book, an atlas. _It's impossible for this thing to be in all these different regions without some sort of focal point beginning. I'm going to find that point if it kills me._ Taking a seat and opening the Atlas, he hesitated. It wasn't an old atlas. In fact, it was brand new. _I'll buy the Professor a new one._ Trying not to wince at how he was desecrating a literary object, he ripped out the maps of Europe, Africa, and the Middle East and set them before him. Pulling out his pencil, he began reading over the ancient texts. 

_Celtic...Egyptian...Arabic..._ Douglas made marks on the three maps, each pinpointing a specific region the texts spoke of Exodus as being. He made some minor marks each time the apocalypse was mentioned as well. _Interesting. This mentions the apocalypse in China, and Egypt, but never the Middle East. Maybe Exodus is the apocalypse. Except he's not mentioned in China anywhere._ _Ah well. A mystery for next time._ He did make note that there was a mention of the apocalypse in the Tibetan Alps. _Maybe there's some info in Tibetan mythology._ Returning to his task, he made the final mark on the map, in France. _Alright, let's see..._ He blinked. _This...can't be right....can it?_

Grabbing a thin paperback, he used its binding as a straightedge and drew straight lines from all his marks on the map, especially the three major references, in the direction where it indicated the origin of Exodus was. _France..._ His hand shaking slightly, he extended the lines until they intersected. _The book...it mentions Exodus right outside of the main mountain range, and according to this map...it's right next to the intersection!_ There, on the makeshift map he had jumbled together laying on the desk, revealed the origin of Exodus rested in the French Alps. _French Alps...French barron..was...was that a clue to the truth, left by someone who knew it?_ He quickly grabbed the book and flipped through it, eyeing the author and trying to remember if he had read any other research books by the same person. _No...I've never heard of this person before. He...he must've figured out the truth. But...but why keep it hidden? Unless...unless there was something in the mountains...something he didn't want the world to know about yet._

His blue eyes lit up for the second time that night. _Of course...how could I have been so stupid!_ All the books made reference to a great Temple, far away a from worshipers and dissenters. A sanctuary of sorts that was said the Exodus came from, and that the apocalypse was sometimes said to be seen in. _A place where the end of the world could be viewed. They probably mean some sort of painting or hieroglyph, but this...this must be the location of the Temple of Exodus! I've found a God that influenced at least three cultures and hasn't been discovered yet! _Grinning like an idiot, Douglas stood and hurried for the door. He had to share this discovery with someone. _And with luck, the Professor will let me go and check it out. This would be so cool, if I actually discovered a new mythological figure, or even better, an ancient temple undisturbed...or practically undisturbed. _

__And, as often is the case with sudden discoveries, the energy Douglas seemed to not be able to get rid of drained away, and he yawned. _No...no...need to tell someone...well, maybe a little rest first._ He fell onto the couch near the door, resting his head on his arm and closing his eyes. _Yeah, just a quick five minute rest. Then I'll get Kitty...or Kurt...or Scott..._

A minute later, the excited blond had fallen asleep. 

~*()*~ 

~*()*~ 

~*()*~ 

Author's Prattle: Woohoo! Yet another chapter out (sooner than expected). Chapter nine should be out very, very quickly, as I started it the same night I wrote half this chapter (inspiration struck at midnight...why can't it be like that during the day?). Sorry if the dance seemed corny or anything. Having only been to my prom, and only on my own, I had to wing it. This is also my first hetero romance, so I'm...having some difficulty with this. Fortunately, my beta's had a few relationships, ne? Ne. 

Speaking of my beta, she gave me a few more ideas, so this fic just gained two or three more chapters with yet another plot twist. *shrugs* Ah well. Just means the sequel has been pushed back a little further. If they flow as easily as this one did, it won't be long before I finish. And for those of you who have figured out the main villain, what's going to happen, all of that, don't spoil it for the others. I will say that some Acolytes will appear briefly, but that's it. 

Disclaimers, disclaimers. Quite a few this chapter. Let's see...I don't own X-Men Evolution, it's characters or settings. I don't own Cipher or the main villain, either. They both belong to Marvel. I also don't own any of the locations, languages, or mythologies mentioned. Yes, I am changing the original history, but it's author's perogitive with creative license. I also don't own Finnegans Wake, nor have I ever read it. I just know of it, and how crazy it is, and that James Joyce is a (disturbing) literary master. 

Hmm...I believe that's it. Keep an eye out, cause things will start speeding up pretty quickly now that the truth is starting to seep out. Muwahahaha! As always, reviews are welcome, and enjoy! 


	10. Morning After

**Cipher's Elegy**

****_By Cypher_

Chapter Nine: Morning After 

Logan growled. Sure, he cut Douglas some slack because of his powers, and he did allow the blond to cut certain training sessions in order to practice martial arts or mental training with Chuck, but he was not going to let him get away with cutting sparring today. _I don't care if he did have a dance last night. That's no excuse. The others are there and he's not. He's going to be running laps for an hour, the little..._ He shoved open the door to Douglas and Kurt's room. "Alright, blonde, time to-" 

Something was wrong. Douglas' bed was there, yes. It looked practically unslept in, but it was there. A certain fuzzy blue elf was there, his right hand holding a brush inches above his tail and his yellow eyes wide. Logan cursed, and made a mental note to apologize to Kurt later. He knew how much the kid was self-conscious about his looks, and how he practically begged to be left alone when he was grooming. Above that, though, a certain blond was conspicuously absent. _Where the hell did he go to?_ His stuff was still there, so he knew he hadn't run off, but still, this was unsettling. Douglas had a set routine and almost never deviated from it. _Maybe he thought today we were training in the danger room?_

A small ahem from Kurt reminded him he was intruding in what the blue mutant considered as part of his sanitary routine. "Sorry. You know where blonde is?" 

"Nein. He was working on homework when I fell asleep." 

Logan frowned and nodded. "Sorry." He left the room and shut the door. _So the elf doesn't know. Well, that leaves just one more person to check with. _He headed for the girl's dorms, specifically, Kitty's room. Before he got far, though, a certain scent caught his nose. Of course, with just over a half dozen male teenagers running around, the adolescent smell he had pick up on could've belonged to anyone. However, this scent held a bit of musk in the background, the same musk that tainted books. _Gotcha._ Following it, he found himself before the library door. _What's he doing in here?_ Twisting the knob, he opened the door and stared at the mess before him. 

_Books...a ruined atlas....that's definitely his work, but what the hell was he doing? _He walked over to table and put his hands on his waist, looking at the strewn about papers. His eyes finally focused on the makeshift map, and the heavily marked epicenter. There were notes near it, but they were written in, well, an older language Logan couldn't identify. _Can't the kid at least write in English every once in a while?_ Sighing, he turned around to leave. A bit of blond caught his eye and he focused his attention by the door. _He fell asleep in here? Geeze. _He went over and shook the teenager none too gently. "Hey. Wake up." 

Douglas grunted and rolled over, turning his back to his teacher. Logan heard a few phrases muttered, but again in languages he didn't understand. The meaning, however, was fairly clear. _Tell me to...that's five demerits right there!_ This time he gripped the mutant's shoulder. "Time to get up." 

The arm he was holding lashed out and nailed him right in the jaw, sending the older mutant back a couple steps. _When did he get so strong?_ Rubbing his jaw, though knowing no real damage had happened, he growled. 

~Logan, let him be.~ 

~Chuck, don't-~ 

~Evan was up around three to use the bathroom and heard him up in the library. He probably needs the sleep.~ 

~Then he should've gone to sleep with everyone else.~ 

~Logan...~ 

~I'm not giving him a free ride because it was his first dance or because he's a genius or anything. He needs training more than anyone else here.~ 

~It's Saturday, Logan. The X-Men have the day off, mainly because most of them did attend the dance. Give him the same treatment you've given them.~ 

Logan growled, but knew he wasn't going to win this argument. ~Fine. But get to the library. He's found something, and you should check it out before he wakes up.~ Glancing over Douglas' sleeping form one last time, he stomped out of the room towards the training grounds, where the other New Mutants were working out. _They're just going to be thrilled with this favoritism._

~*()*~ 

Douglas blinked when he felt something warm against his back. _Stupid quilt. I thought I threw that off the bed._ He paused. He hadn't fallen asleep in his room. Now that his mind was starting to wake up, he remembered that he had fallen asleep in the library, without any blanket whatsoever. _The only reason my back should be warm is if the sun was hitting it in the late...morning...oh shit._ He forced his blue eyes open and found himself face to face with the back of a leather couch. _The sun hits the library about nine...I had training at seven...crap. Logan's so gonna kill me. _Groaning, he pushed himself up. 

"Good morning, Douglas." 

"Wha..?" Twisting to see who was, Douglas lost his balance and fell off the couch, directly onto a book someone other than him had neglected to put away. "AGH! OW! Goddamnit!" He growled and pulled the book out. _'First Aid for Dummies.' Someone has a cruel sense of humor._

"Douglas, please." 

Douglas shook his head and looked towards the voice, his face turning red when he realized it belonged to none other than the headmaster, Professor Xavier himself. "Sorry, sir." 

"There's no need for the sir, Douglas. I just want you to watch your language." Xavier was seated in his wheelchair looking over the books and map the younger mutant had placed out the night before. "Would you like to explain this me? As well as why you're sleeping on the couch and why you tore up one of my atlas'?" 

Douglas sheepishly got up and took the seat he had occupied last night, his face still brightly colored. "Well, um, I figured it'd be a pain to keep flipping the pages to try and figure everything out, and I really didn't want to work with a condensed world map, so I figured I'd, um, buy you a new Atlas if you really...needed one." 

Xavier folded his hands together and nodded. "And the couch?" 

Douglas glanced back to his previous location, then rested his arms on the table, careful not to disturb anything. "I...got tired and fell asleep, I guess. I meant to only rest my eyes for a few minutes, I swear." 

Xavier chuckled at that. Many a time he had sworn he'd only take a short nap and wound up falling asleep. _Guess he was really worn out._ "And all of this?" He waved his hand over the table. 

Douglas' embarrassment faded somewhat, now confident enough to tell someone the truth. "You see, I've been trying to figure out this Exodus mystery. At first I thought it was some biblical allusion, but the further I explored it, the more it seemed to be some undiscovered God that influenced not one or two, but three cultures in a major way, and who knows how many others in subtle ways. Now, I don't really have a clear understanding," Douglas stood and picked up one book, an Egyptian one, and pointed to a symbol, "but I think this symbol is a sign of the end of the world, the apocalypse. He's a God that has an association with the end of the world." 

Xavier tensed at Douglas' mentioning of apocalypse. It was a name few mutants knew, but those that did feared it. _But he seems to believe it's just an association with the actual meaning of the word._ He took the book from Douglas' hands, tuning the mutant out a minute and examining the symbols he had pointed to. _I think I'll scan and send these to a friend of mine. Double check that it is indeed nothing more than the literal meaning of the word._

Douglas continued talking, oblivious to the fact that the Professor had stopped listening for a minute. "And here in this Celtic text, it alludes to a temple that Exodus is from. And this Arabic text, referring to Exodus as more of a warlord than a God, indicates that those who looked upon the temple would see Armageddon at times. Well, actually, it says apocalypse, which is curious, since it's rare that two completely alien texts would use the same term. Unless, of course, the Egyptian myth somehow came into contact to an Arab Warlord who took the name and discovered the temple..." Douglas set the book he was holding down and rubbed his chin. "If that's the case, then maybe the temple has been ransacked, but-" 

"Douglas, please slow down." Xavier rubbed his forehead. At this moment, he was sure that if he could scan the teen's mind, he'd be overwhelmed with the amount of information and exuberance emanating from within it. "What has this got to do with the map?" 

"Ah, well," Douglas picked up the French book, "this author, one Eobar Barrington, is the sole author outside of the normal sources," he nodded to the other books on the table, "that mentions Exodus in any way, and in fact talks about the temple." Douglas set the book down and pointed to the one mark on the Atlas located within French borders. "That's the only strange place that talks about Exodus. From the fifth century in the Arab country, to the twelfth century in France. There's no mention of him whatsoever between those times, though Barrington mentions someone by the name of Bennet du Paris that I still have to research, and I believe might have been the real one to discover the Temple of Exodus, but for some reason failed to record his finding." 

"That's all very interesting, Douglas, but the map?" 

"I'm getting to that, just hold up." 

Xavier raised an eyebrow. Normally Douglas would never have been so bold towards him. _This must be what Kitty talks about, when he really gets talking about something._

Douglas pointed to the three points of the major spoke growing from the center point in France. "See, these are all the mentions of Exodus, and this point here," he moved his hand back to the mark in France, "and the final mentioning by Barrington. If you trace the extensions of where the Temple is supposed to be and find the epicenter, and then compare them to the French location," he tapped the map where three lines intersected each other, "you find that the Temple of Exodus is in the French Alps, about forty miles from Barrington's mentioning of Exodus." 

Xavier nodded, starting to understand why Douglas was so excited. "So you believe that there's an archeological find there?" 

"Yes! One that people have been looking for and not been able to find, or maybe they gave up, or maybe because the references are so abstract no one has been able to figure it out." Douglas was grinning again, just as he had the night before. "Don't you see, Professor? I could have actually made an archeological find of the decade! And if...and if a mutant was the one who discovered and uncovered this, maybe, just maybe-" 

Xavier held up his hand. "Douglas, while humans may be slowly accepting mutants, claiming an archeological find based on one's research would undoubtedly cast shadows of disbelief and claims of forgery." 

Douglas' face fell at that, but he brightened almost instantly. "Well, be that as it may, can I go and check it out? I mean, I DID figure this out, it's only right that I should look for myself, right? Right?" 

Xavier sighed. "Douglas, this is a lot to digest." 

"But Professor-" 

_I've never heard him whine before._ Xavier shook his head and steepled his hands. "I'll consider it, Douglas. For now, why don't you go and get some brunch, and I'll look over everything once more, just to make sure." 

Douglas' shoulders slumped, but he muttered a 'yes' and slunk out of the room. 

Xavier moved his chair closer to the door and eyed the map skeptically. _If he's right, it could be a great archeological find. If not, he could be made a laughing stock. _He rubbed his chin. _On the other hand, it could be an educational experience as well, even if they found nothing. But these references to an apocalypse worry me..._

Oh yes, Charles Xavier had a lot to consider... 

~*()*~ 

"You're saying you wanna go to this place?" 

Douglas nodded enthusiastically, grinning as Kitty finally figured it out. "And I want you to come with me. I mean, who better to be with me when I find the, well, find of the decade, than my girlfriend?" 

"What if you don't find anything?" 

Kitty, from her position on the couch, glared at Kurt, who did nothing but flip his tail in acknowledgment. "Like, don't say that. Of course something'll be there." 

"Maybe a crazy guy looking for a temple that doesn't exist." 

"KURT!" 

Douglas looked to the ceiling. On one hand, he was hurt by the words, and glad for the fact that Kitty was defending his hope from Kurt's scathing comments. On the other hand, he was pissed and fed up with his roommate's attitude. _Why is he trying to crush my dream? It's not like I ever did something like that to him!_

Kitty sat up. "Just, like, leave him alone, fuzzy! You're upset because he did something constructive in his spare time rather than lounge about and eat!" 

Kurt crossed his arms and snorted. "Is that all you think I do? Well I have news for you, Kitty, I do a lot more than your so-called boyfriend! He can't even be around a girl without going all flustered! He's antisocial, he misses the obvious, and he has the annoying habit of saying vocabulary words in his sleep!" 

Douglas blushed at that. He hadn't meant to that one time, and in all honesty it wasn't his fault. He was having a really...intense dream involving Kitty, him, and a bookcase in a library. It was his first X-rated dream, and apparently the reflexive part of his mind that dealt with sex also dealt with his unconscious recall ability. "You promised to never bring that up!" 

"You don't need me to, you can do it just fine on your own. Or better yet, with Kitty." 

Douglas' mouth dropped open, while Kitty stared at Kurt, finally turning red as she figured out the implication. Struggling to find words in any language, Douglas finally got his voice back when Kurt's face turned upward in a definite smirk. _Why're you being so mean? What have I ever done to you to deserve this?_ 

_You know exactly what you did._ With that, Kurt hopped over the back of his chair and headed for the front door. 

Douglas stared after him, blinking and trying to comprehend what he meant. "I never DID anything!" By the time he yelled that, Kurt had long since made his way to the forested area of the estate. "I never did..." 

Kitty, still red, slipped out of sight by phasing through the floor. She wanted to talk with Douglas, but right now she really didn't feel very comfortable doing that. She had learned an intimate detail too soon in their relationship, and it felt a bit...awkward. 

Douglas turned around to face Kitty, and finding her not there, collapsed back onto the couch. _Great. I make this huge discovery, and I end up alienating the very people I want to share it with. _Rubbing the back of his neck, he wondered what else could go wrong today. 

"Suit up, blonde. Tell half-pint to as well. Chuck agreed to let you check out this place in the Alps." 

_Well, that's great, but now I suddenly don't feel like going._ Sighing yet again, he nodded and stood, before realizing something. "How're we gonna get there? I can't fly anything, and neither can Kitty." 

"But I can." Logan crossed his arms. "I'll be tagging along to keep you two safe and outta trouble. And don't think this'll be a joyride. When we get back, you're going through the workout of your life for missing this morning." He turned and left the room. 

Standing on his own, Douglas resisted the urge to rub his temples and groan. _It's better than not going. It's better than not going. Oh Jesus Christ, why me? _Deciding to ask Jean or the Professor to contact Kitty, he headed for his room to change. _The room Kurt and I share, and he'll probably move me out of while we're gone. At least things can't go any more downhill from here._

~*()*~ 

"The Alps, you say?" Magneto set his fork down and eyed Gambit. He was just in the middle of dinner when the younger man came in to deliver the news. True, Xavier's students flying out of the state, even out of the country was not uncommon, but there were a few places that Magneto didn't want them going to. This short list included the Alps. 

"Oui. Wolverine, Shadowcat, and the new kid took off for it about an hour ago." The Southern mutant flipped a card absently between his fingers. "No idea why, though." He didn't really care, either. He was in the middle of a very sweet poker match with Pyro and Colossus when he got the message. He also lost the hand, and in addition to staking over some of his winnings, he was elected to deliver the news to their leader. 

Magneto stood and walked over to a low standing bookcase. He stared at a map, reminiscent to the one Douglas had created earlier. Rather than strange languages and multiple markings in different countries, this one showed a course from Rome to the French Alps, with German notes in the margins. "Perhaps they have discovered what I have." 

Gambit caught a glimpse of the map. "What's that?" _Anything with treasure might make this interruption worthwhile..._

"There is a cache of Cyttorak crystals stored in some hidden caverns there. I had planned to go there once my latest mutant enhancer was completed and gather what was needed, but if the X-Men get there first and clear out the crystals..." Magneto clenched his fists at his side. He had been thwarted one too many times by his old friend and his team of mutants. He couldn't let them take more of the precious gems. 

Gambit shrugged. To him, the Cyttorak crystals weren't that valuable, and therefore not very important. "What if they're just going to climb the mountain?" 

Magneto turned on his heel and glared at his minion. "Are you a fool? Xavier wouldn't waste such resources for only three members. He knows there's something there." 

Gambit held up his hands in surrender. While he was his own man and quite brave, he certainly didn't want to piss off his boss. "So what do we do?" 

Glancing at the map once more, Magneto narrowed his eyes. "Find Mastermind. You and he are going to take a little trip to the French Alps..." 

~*()*~ 

~*()*~ 

~*()*~ 

Author's Prattle: Well, this is a short chapter, ne? Much shorter than usual, anyway. Sorry about that, but this just FELT like the right place to end it, and when it feels right...ah well. They're really spilling through my mind. The final chapters should be out...oh, I figure in a couple weeks...though I have a ton of yard work to do...and my room needs cleaning...okay, make that at least a month. But still, the ending, she approaches! 

Again, yes I'm changing the histories and myths of the X-verse quite a bit, but in some cases the Evo people did it first. So if you're a Marvel purist, don't kill me. I'm just having fun using the established Marvel myths. Which brings us, of course, to Disclaimers. I don't own X-Men Evolution, Cipher, Temple of Exodus (well...I own the temple, but not the name). They all belong to Marvel. Let's see...oh yeah, Barrington also belongs to Marvel. So do the Cyttorak crystals. I think that's it. 

A reminder that ~ indicates telepathy and _ indicates something spoken in German. And no offense to anyone in regards to Douglas' swearing. That's just who he is. 

Oh, I believe this would be the peak of Kurt-Douglas tensions, but I'm not sure. Any who, enough of me babbling. Chapter ten should be out...soon. Probably a week. As always, hope you enjoyed reading, and reviews are greatly appreciated. 


	11. The Alps

**Cipher's Elegy**

****_By Cypher_

Chapter Ten: The Alps 

Douglas sighed as he watched the edge of the eastern coastline of the United States recede, being quickly replaced by not just the Ocean of the Atlantic, but by an ocean of clouds. His right hand was tapping lightly against the armrest, while his left was being used to support his head. He was in his X-Men uniform, an outfit he actually had a brief argument with Logan about, as they wouldn't blend in with the natives. Logan had just retorted they'd be in the mountains, and they were mutants. There was no one to fit in with, and even if there was, they'd stand out. 

_It's not like I can't speak French. I could easily blend us in. None of us have physical examples of mutations._ His eyes flitted briefly to the feral pilot. _Well, okay, his claws might stand out, but not too much. In these clothes, though, we're practically walking targets. I kinda wanted to find this place on my own, without attracting attention to us._

He frowned at his transparent reflection in the glass. _Why don't you address what's really bothering you? _He closed his eyelids and leaned his head forward slightly, resting it on the window. _Why was Kurt so cruel? What did he mean when he said I knew what I'd done to him. I've done nothing...haven't I? I mean, sure, I told him not to include me in the morning pranks, and I did read a bit later than I was supposed to on some occasions. But I thought he was okay with everything else. _

"Hey. I, like, thought you'd want your laptop to do some research." 

Douglas blinked and turned, smiling slightly as Kitty grinned at him and held out his computer to him. Nodding, he took it. "Thanks. It's probably best I do some last minute review of the data before we arrive." Opening the screen and waiting for it to boot up, he turned to face the window once more, his mind again wandering back to Kurt. _I still can't believe he spilled about the vocabulary..._

Kitty sat back, then tapped Logan on the shoulder. "I'm worried about Douglas. He seemed so happy, and now he's like, totally bummed." 

Logan grunted, indicating he was busy piloting to be disturbed by her. Truth be told, though, he was also worried about the blond. It didn't take a genius to see he was upset about something. Even now it was obvious, as his eyes were concentrated on the sky outside while one of his hands typed mindlessly on the keyboard. _What's he got to be upset about? We're going to the damn Alps on this long shot that he'll find some temple._

Kitty crossed her arms and bit her lip, watching her boyfriend. _It's got to be Kurt. That's the only thing that's bothered him today._ She sighed as he finally paid attention to the computer. _When we get back I'm gonna corner that fuzzball and get to the bottom of this. How dare he attack Douglas like that without a reason!_

~*()*~ 

"Kurt, what is with you, man?" 

Kurt took a bite of his sandwich and tilted his head as he chewed. "What?" 

Scott tried not to gag as he caught glimpses of what was in the sandwich. _Peanut butter, pickles, and salami? What is it with his appetite?_ "With Douglas. Jean talked with Kitty about what you did...why'd you do it, man?" 

Kurt swallowed and shrugged, taking another few bites out of his snack. He didn't really want to talk with Scott about it, and in his mind it wasn't really any of Scott's concern. 

"Kurt," Scott crossed his arms and gave the blue mutant his leadership stare, "why'd you do it? What has Douglas ever done to you?" 

"What has he ever done to me?" Kurt let his teeth show, fangs and all, for a moment. "You know what he did. He took my room, he took my brother," 

Scott furrowed his brow a moment before remembering that Kurt considered Jamie his little brother. _That means next on his list will be-_

"And he took Kitty. I just got tired of him taking and telling me about how happy he is, especially with her, and how he's doing all this great stuff. I just got tired of it, and now he's going to have to deal with my real feelings." 

Scott rubbed the back of his head, thinking. "But...you've been able to handle that until now. What changed?" 

Kurt frowned and finished the rest of his sandwich, glaring past Scott. _What changed? Maybe me catching them in that verdammt lip lock! And what's worse, he just wouldn't shut up about it. Sure, he didn't actually say anything, but the smirk on his face..._ His tail wrapped around a table leg and squeezed involuntarily, causing Scott to back away slightly. "Nothing changed. I just got tired of trying to be nice to a person I don't like. That's all." 

Scott frowned. He doubted very much that was it, and considering how a crack resounded that caused the table to lean slightly, he figured there was a lot of anger Kurt wasn't telling him about. _I've got to get him to open up somehow..._ He blinked. _He's angry, he's lashing out..._ "Alright. Say, you up to a Danger Room session? You seem like you could let off some steam." 

Kurt blinked at the sudden change in topic, but understood why Scott did it. _Well...I am ready to kill something. _"Sure, why not." _Maybe I can program a virtual Douglas to get my hands on..._

~*()*~ 

"I don't get it. It's got to be around here somewhere." Douglas turned around in a circle, trying to find any indication of a temple entrance. 

"Maybe it's, like, hidden." Kitty slid out the door of the chopper and glanced back at Douglas' seat, where the laptop rested. "Don't you want your computer?" 

"No, not if we'll be exploring. I want to wait until we know where this place is, then I'll come back and get it." He started feeling along a rock face, his blue eyes scanning up its surface. "Beautiful." 

Kitty walked over and followed his line of vision. "This rock? Why?" 

"Why? Kitty, imagine the time and energy put into creating this thing. Sure, it's a natural formation, but if you think about it, it's a beautiful thing because it's still here. It's survived and is here to show the majesty that is nature. And it's still practically untouched by human and mutant hands." 

"What about the temple?" 

"That's why I said practically. But looking at it right now..." Douglas closed his eyes, still holding his hand against the rock. 

Kitty watched him, and smiled slightly. His color, as well as spirit, seemed to return. _Glad to see he's feeling better. If we find this temple of his, I doubt Kurt will be anywhere on his mind. _

"Alright kiddies, we're not here to meditate or appreciate nature. That dot you made on the map covers at least a half mile radius." Logan made sure the X-chopper was locked and secure before walking towards his two charges. "You two stick together, I'm gonna check the area for either natives or wildlife, as well as any other dangers." 

Douglas nodded without opening his eyes, still absorbing the feeling of the rock. 

Kitty patted her boyfriend's shoulder and waved at her teacher. "No problem, Mr. Logan. We'll start looking right away." 

Logan turned and wandered off, sniffing the air cautiously. 

"Douglas, like, come on. We don't have time for-" 

"Shh. Just listen." 

"The sounds of nature are nice, but-" 

"Shh!" Douglas opened his eyes, grabbed Kitty's wrist, and forced her hand against the rock face. "Listen!" 

Kitty blinked, surprised, but did as he said. At first she heard nothing, but after a few minutes, she could make out a soft hum, almost a thrumming noise. "What's that?" 

"I don't know." Douglas looked around. "But something is making that noise. Either something in a cave, or a power system, or even some person humming, but something IS humming. There's something here." 

Kitty hesitated a moment before phasing her hand through the solid material. "No good. It's just rock on the inside." 

"It may be deeper inside, or maybe even another area of the mountain. Vibrations can happen from miles away and the sound would travel. It's just subtle enough that no technology could pick it up, but loud enough that if you focused, you could notice it with normal senses." He crossed his arms and dipped his head, his eyes narrowing. 

Kitty backed up slightly and started looking around, knowing that the blond teen was entering his thinking state. _Best leave him be. Maybe he can figure out what that sound is._ Noticing an outcropping that would be difficult to get around, she decided to see if there was a ledge on the other side for her to phase to. Without thinking about it too much, she stepped right through the mineral. 

She let out an involuntary yelp as she stepped out into a psychic blast. 

~*()*~ 

Logan sniffed, his eyes shifting around. There were two unfamiliar scents in the area, along with Kitty and Douglas'. _No, not two. One I don't know, but the other...the other I've met before. But where? And who?_ A glowing card flew into his peripheral vision, and he jumped back, catching only the tail end of the explosion. "Gambit!" 

"Oui, Wolverine. Long time no see." The ex-theif stood on a ledge almost two dozen feet higher. He held his staff in one hand, and another card in his other. 

Unsheathing his claws, he growled. "What're you doing here?" 

"Just seeing what you're up to." He ignited the card he was holding. 

Glancing to the mountain curve where he left the X-chopper and his two charges, he clenched his fists tighter. _Hang on as long as you can, kids. I'll be there in a minute._

~*()*~ 

Douglas was snapped out of his revere by two simultaneous sounds. To his right he heard an explosion, but to his left he heard Kitty yell. _What the hell?! _Looking in both directions, he decided it would be best to find out about Kitty. _Logan can take care of himself better than anyone I know._ Realizing as an afterthought that it was probably a dumb idea to leave their mode of transportation unguarded, Douglas nonetheless ran towards a rock outcropping and clenched his teeth. _Here goes nothing._

Using his gathered inertia, he threw his weight into one more step and hurled himself over the outcropping. At least, that was the goal. What he actually managed to do was get his torso over most of the top, and then had to scramble for handholds, quickly, as he was sliding back without any solid footholds. Trying not to wince as he felt some jagged edges tear at his uniform, he managed to get a decent grip and slowly haul himself up. When he was sure he wouldn't slide back, or fall head first into the ground, he risked a glance up. His breath caught in his throat. 

Kitty was standing there, seemingly stunned, while this elderly man was doing...something. His eyes were glowing, and the fact that Kitty's eyes were flinching let Douglas know it probably was something mental, and definitely not something good. Pulling himself into a crouch, he looked at the rock face. _Angle this right. You don't want to shove her off the mountain. _Biting his lip, he shifted his footing, then hauled back. 

Mastermind was completely taken by surprise when he suddenly heard the phrase "Kitty! Phase!" He was even more surprised when a blond teenage boy lunged at his prey and pushed her directly at the mountain face. He understood why, however, when the girl actually fell INTO the mountain face. _Damn. Not like she knew much. Only that they were here for some temple._ He stepped back as the blond mutant got to his feet. _She indicated he was the one who knew everything._

Douglas, on his part, got into a fighting stance and emitted a low growl. "Who the hell are you and what do you want?" It was taking all of his self control not to tear into this old man--_No. Wait, Xavier showed me his picture before....Mastermind? Yeah, Mastermind._--into Mastermind for attacking Kitty. 

"That doesn't matter. What does is that you have information I need." Mastermind wasn't concerned with this teen. Like the girl, he would simply stun him and search for what Magneto sought, and then erase the fact that he had. Without much effort, he sent out another psychic blast. 

And was struck dumb, literally, when the blond teen not only remained unaffected, but landed a blow to chin, sending him sprawling back. _What...but how?!_

"Answer me! Why did you attack Kitty? Why're you attacking us?" Douglas grabbed Mastermind by the collar of his coat and slammed him into the mountain wall, using his free arm to apply pressure to Mastermind's neck. 

Struggling rather meekly, he tried another, stronger psychic blast. Again, it seemed to have no effect except to make the teenager blink. _How is this possible?_ Deciding to forego the psychic paralysis for a moment, he tried to see within the mutant's mind, and nearly reeled back physically by the sheer amount of knowledge that blocked his entry. _Who IS he?_

"Now, old man! Before I knock you out and let Wolverine interrogate you!" 

~Gambit, I need assistance. NOW!~ 

~*()*~ 

Gambit shrugged at the mental summons. In all honesty, he was glad for it. Wolverine hadn't presented much of a challenge, though that was mainly due to the fact that he hadn't allowed the feral mutant any chance to climb up and get him. "Sorry, mon chere, but I'm needed elsewhere." Pulling out a dozen charged cards, he flung them around Wolverine, causing the ground the X-man was on to crumble away and the person on it to fall a hundred feet to a ledge below. 

Using his staff, he jumped to another ledge and worked his way to Mastermind's position. He wasn't worried about Wolverine, knowing that the mutant had not only a healing ability, but a strong will to survive just about anything. _Wonder what's got Mastermind so worried. Can't be Shadowcat. It must be that new kid. Cipher, I think is what Pietro called him._ Stopping on a peak above Mastermind's position, he spotted the older mutant in a practical choke grip by a blond teen. _Yep, that's him._

Thinking for a moment, he jumped off the peak and turned around, trapping the teen's arms with his pole and his body. He tried using his empathy to cool the kid off, but finding it had no effect, he decided to go with vocal commands. "Just calm down, mon ami, and we won't hurt you." 

"Mon ami?! Vous-" 

To Gambit's surprise, the kid let out a stream of French phrases that would make any native sailor blush. _Impressive._ Then, as yet another surprise, the kid slammed his elbow into Gambit's abdomen and his head into Gambit's nose. A second later his foot landed on Gambit's instep, and somehow, his other elbow managed to land a blow against Gambit's groin. The near simultaneous attacks caused Gambit to loosen his grip and stumble back, allowing Cipher to slip out of his clutches and back away from both Acolytes. 

"What is going on?! Why're you here?" 

Feeling his nose, and relieved when he didn't feel any blood, Gambit took an odd step forward, still feeling pain from the last hit Cipher had landed. "That's for us to know." 

Douglas growled again, but his attention quickly landed on Mastermind as he tried to move. "Freeze, geezer! I may not shoot stuff from my eyes," he kicked up a small stone from the ground and caught it, "but I've got killer aim." 

Mastermind froze and tried yet another psychic blast, pouring a lot more energy into the attack. 

This time, Douglas winced, putting a hand to his forehead as a headache started to form. _What the...that's like when the Professor tries to get in there! _Narrowing his eyes, and knowing just how dangerous it could be if the psychic attack continued, he threw the rock at the older man. 

Mastermind held up his hands to protect himself. Douglas was so focused on his taking out the psychic mutant, that he momentarily forgot about Gambit. Seizing this window of opportunity, Gambit jumped into the air and twirled his staff. He landed right next to Cipher, and slammed his metal weapon into the base of the teen's neck. 

Douglas blinked and stumbled, stunned for a moment, before falling to the ground, unconscious. 

Mastermind shook his head, glaring at the scratch he had received on his arm from the rock. Gambit merely tsked, and pulled out some rope. They would learn why the X-Men had come, even if they had to get the information the old fashioned way. 

~*()*~ 

~*()*~ 

~*()*~ 

Author's Prattle: Well...that was a surprise, ne? Well, more for me than you. I thought I could wrap this up in one neat little chapter, but apparently, I was wrong. C'est la vie. As a result, though, it's shorter than expected. Sorry about that, but it moves the plot along rather quickly. 

For those of you wondering what happened to Wolvie and Kitty, you'll find out next chapter. I promise! They didn't just vanish...oh no. I have plans...good plans. And Cipher...well...you just can't keep a good mutant down, can you? You'll just have to wait and see! 

As always, I don't mean to offend anyone with the swearing. I also don't want to offend anyone who owns these characters. That's right, I don't own X-Men Evolution, the characters or settings. I also don't own Cipher or the enemy (which is fairly obvious if you've read the other chapters). They all belong to Marvel. I also don't own the Alps. And a reminder, ~ indicates telepathy. 

Hmm...I think that's it. Chapter eleven will be out to end this little problem..and then....the end will be upon us all! Muwahahahaha! 

...the end of the fic, that is. As always, reviews are welcome, and hope you enjoyed reading! 


	12. Mission Objectives

**Cipher's Elegy**

_By Cypher_

__Chapter Eleven: Mission Objectives 

Kitty groaned and shook her head, slowly coming out of a state of unconsciousness. "What happened?" She rubbed her forehead, thinking. She remembered going through that rock, and being hit by something, and then...Mastermind, but after that..._What happened?_ Glancing about and finding no source of light, she realized she must be within the mountain. _That's right. Douglas told me to phase and shoved me...I guess I just fell until I hit a cave and passed out._

Sitting up, she felt herself over, relieved that she didn't have any injuries, major or minor. _But...where is here? _Reaching around her waist, she pulled out the emergency glow stick Logan had insisted they carry. _Guess he figured we'd end up inside a cave or something eventually. _Getting to her feet, she cracked the neon light into existence and held it up. She let out a calming breath when she saw that she wasn't in an isolated cave, but had landed in what appeared to be a cave complex. She found two tunnels, one far too small to fit through, at least in the traditional way, and one that was slightly larger than her. 

_In fact,_ she approached the larger tunnel entrance and felt along its edges, _this...this is almost manmade. Douglas could tell, but I think it's just...been changed by the centuries. This can't be a natural cut._ Looking around once more, she cautiously entered the tunnel. Along the way, her ear twitched, and she froze, straining to hear the subtle noise she had detected. _The...the humming. It's louder. _She found, in fact, that the farther she went down the tunnel, the louder the humming became. _No, not humming. It's a thrumming. Definitely. Wait, is thrumming even a word?_ She pondered this a minute. _I'll look it up when I get back. _

Getting back on track, she paused at an intersection of multiple tunnels and tried to figure out which way to go. _I wish Mr. Logan or Douglas were here. They'd figure out where to go._ It took her a few moments, but she decided on the far right tunnel, where the noise was coming from. _It's getting louder. This has got to be the right way. _ Light appeared near the edge of the tunnel. Not a bright light, but a simmering blood red just dark enough to obscure the area, but light enough to see. 

_What...gorgeous crystals._ Kitty reached out to touch one, but stopped short. _No. Douglas should look at these. For all I know they're...sacred stones or something._ Something was nagging her in the back of her mind, like she had seen these crystals, felt their power, before. _But what's making them thrum and glow like that? _She watched the crystals as she walked a few steps. _There sure are a lot of them._

Turning to face forward, her jaw dropped as her head tilted back. She hadn't realized just how big the cavern was, and she now saw what it contained. The glow stick slipped from her grasp, and she fell back. _Like, good God. Douglas...I've got to find Douglas!_

~*()*~ 

Gambit looked over at their teenage captive as he once again snarled something no one at his age should utter at Mastermind. It had taken them a total of ten minutes to get the three of them to the X-chopper, and another three for Gambit to pick his way in. He figured if he couldn't find information about the X-men's interest of the Alps there, he could at least find out some of the new design plans of the X-Mansion for Magneto. 

Unfortunately, the flying machine had been encrypted, far beyond his ability to try and hack. He was tempted to just blow it up, but decided against it. _Perhaps Magneto can do it. All I have to do is hot wire this thing to get it to fly._ It was, after all, just another vehicle for transportation. Any of those could be hot-wired easily. Giving the controls a rest, he had moved on to the laptop in the back. This, too, was encrypted, but was rather easy to figure out the password. _Teenagers._

During his time fiddling with the chopper, Mastermind had been trying to prod the teenager's mind, to find out anything if he could, or at the very least break into the intelligent mind. Unfortunately, Mastermind's rather frustrated growls and clenching of fists that occurred at almost regular five minute intervals informed Gambit that he was getting no where fast. About the time he got into the mainframe of the laptop, Cipher had awakened, roused by Mastermind's mental probes. While his feet were tied along with his hands, he was able to lash out and trip Mastermind, as well as let out a string of swear words that turned even Gambit's ears a bit red. __

_Where did someone like him learn to swear?_ Gambit had tried to drown it out by focusing on the laptop information, and quickly discovered that the password was the only thing in the English language. Each program was typed in a different one, and quite a few were in varying dialects of Arabic. _He even has Solitaire in Russian! _Whoever owned this piece of equipment was either very paranoid, or a skilled linguist. And having been sworn at in at least twenty different languages, three of which he recognized, he knew exactly who's computer this was. 

"I give up, Gambit." Mastermind rubbed his forehead and sat on the door edge of the chopper. "There is no way I can get into his mind." 

"Then perhaps it is time we try other ways." Grabbing an extra piece of rope, Gambit hopped out of the seat he was occupying and made his way to Cipher, who had a very cruel smirk on his face. _He enjoyed screwing with Mastermind._ Gambit had to smirk as well. The telepath had gotten on his nerves once or twice as well, and his empathy was only a limited method of keeping his mind safe. "So, you think you're tough?" 

"Tougher than you think I am." Douglas growled and bared his teeth, shifting his weight slightly. 

Gambit shoved him back, preventing him from trying to lash out. "Well, how tough do you think you'll be with only one arm?" Twisting the rope around one of Cipher's upper arms, he ignited it, but kept his hold on it to prevent it from blowing. 

Cipher looked into Gambit's eyes, and while Gambit saw a hint of fear, it was well masked as Cipher's smirk grew. "Be my guest. Without proper medical attention I would bleed out, eventually leading to my death and a very nasty mutant hunt from the Xavier school." _Except from Kurt. He seems to hate me..._

Gambit furrowed his brow. "You're bluffing." 

"Am I? I may be at a disadvantage physically, and I'm used to that. But intellectually? You're at the disadvantage. I've studied biology far more extensively in two semesters than you have in your entire life." He practically grinned. "I'm terrified of what you'll do, but I also know you want me alive at the moment. You blow off that arm, and you'll have the blood of one teenage mutant on your hands. And so help me, if I die here and now, I'll come back and haunt you to the point you go insane." 

Gambit searched the blue eyes, and knew that somehow, he would keep his word. _Not that I'm superstitious._ He let the charge die peacefully and removed the rope from the arm. "You're brave, to face a bluff like that." 

"I was brave to tell you the truth. Contrary to what Wolverine has taught me, I find truth can be just as powerful as fiction." Douglas shifted in his bonds and frowned a moment, as if concentrating. 

Gambit quickly checked over the ropes keeping their hostage in place, and nodded when he found both sets of knots were still firmly in place. "Whatcha doing?" 

"Wondering what happened to Wolverine. And Kitty." 

Gambit raised an eyebrow. He'd seen eyes spark like that before. _He likes her._ "Wolverine is buried, I'm afraid. Pity. Looks like we could've interrogated him, since we're getting nothing from you." 

Douglas snorted. He had no doubt that Gambit believed Wolverine had been buried, but he knew his teacher. _Probably digging his way out and finding his way here as we speak. At least, I hope...otherwise I'm so screwed._ He blinked. "Hey, why are YOU here? What's got you so interested in the Alps?" 

Gambit sat back, a bit surprised at not just the sudden change in topic, but the change in tone. _It's like his hostility just vanished. _"We're interested because you are." 

Douglas shook his head. "No." His eyes narrowed as his mind began to pick up in activity. "No...there's...there's something of value here. Something you don't want us to find. You came...came to make sure we didn't find something." He faced Gambit, no real malice in his face or tone. 

It actually spooked Gambit a bit. Not only had their prisoner figured out the mission, but his hostilities seemed to have vanished in an instant. _Even outside of the mind he's difficult to read. One minute he hates us, another he's just...what, shrugged it all off as if it was nothing?_

Douglas' smirk returned a little. "Your stunned silence is a pretty good confirmation." He shrugged his shoulders and sighed. "Well, I don't know what you're looking for, but I can assure you, Magneto never even came to mind. Hell, none of this did. I was just...curious about the Alps." 

By this time, Mastermind had gotten around to fiddling with Douglas' laptop, and was trying to get all the languages it was employing to standard English. He snorted at Douglas' comment, however. 

Gambit crossed his arms. "Just curious? Why then do you have such a strong security system." 

"On my laptop? That's how it always is. I'm multilingual, and I live in a house of people who have...a limited sense of privacy. Alternate languages are my only defense." Douglas tried not to wince as he twisted his wrist, nearly breaking it. _It's just a knot. You've learned a number of these. Feel it over and figure out how to undo it._ He kept his face focused on Gambit, though. He knew getting the knot undone wouldn't be the hard part. Getting past the Acolyte would be. _Just have to...distract him._

Gambit, thus far, hadn't noticed the diversion in Douglas' attention. "Well, what in the Alps interests you?" 

Douglas took half a moment to think, knowing if he delayed too long it'd be interpreted as a lie. _Kitty. What I told her earlier. Oh I hope she's okay._ "Its majesty. I mean, look at it. Despite all the horrors mankind has wrought upon this world, it's survived relatively intact..." 

~*()*~ 

Logan grunted as he shoved a rock off of his back. He had only been partially buried by Gambit's rock slide, but unfortunately one stone had hit him rather hard in the head and knocked him out. Now, regaining consciousness, he was throwing stones around left and right, struggling to get free. _Half pint and blonde. They've got to be after one of them, and like hell I'm gonna let Magneto get his hands on my kids._ Grunting, he used his claws to dice up one remaining stone on his leg and waited not so patiently for his mutant gift to heal the damage. 

_When I get my hands on that Cajun...I just hope the kids had the good sense to hide._ He glared up the cliff face, sniffing. _Half-pint's gone...but Blonde._ He growled. Gambit and the unknown scent were intermingling with Douglas' scent. _They got him. Damnit!_ He hacked at a nearby rock with his claws and looked around, trying to find a way back up the cliff face. _Guess I'll just have to climb my way up._ Ignoring the pain in his legs, he got to his feet and dug his claws into the rock. He had to haul himself up by upper body strength alone, but knew it wouldn't take too long for his legs to be strong enough to support his weight in climbing. 

_Hang on, blonde. I'll get you free, we'll find Half-pint, and then kick some Cajun butt._

~*()*~ 

"I'm telling you, that's all we're interested in here. I'm a genius. It's natural for me to be curious about natural phenomena." Douglas shifted in his bonds. He had almost worked out half the knot for his hands, but his feet were really starting to feel numb from the rope around his ankles. _And to think I may have to leave those on to take these two out._

Actually, he wasn't sure about taking out Gambit. The older mutant was obviously experienced in dealing with hostages, or at least hostile situations. He was currently resting on his staff and staring at Douglas. While the eyes didn't bother the blond too much, the fact that they kept constant watch on him was starting to make him nervous. _I think I've got him believing that all I want to do is visit the Alps, though. _

"I'm not so sure that's all you want to do, here." Gambit shifted his weight and pulled his legs in to try and get more comfortable. 

Douglas rolled his eyes. _Almost got him. Just have to push him a bit more..._ "Well, if you're wondering why Kitty's here, she's smart and was interested, too." _Interested in me more, undoubtedly, but I'll use what I can._ "And Wolverine was the only teacher able to fly us here." 

"Mastermind says you were looking for something. A temple, I believe." Gambit smirked as Douglas' eyes turned dark. _Oh yeah. I got him._

Douglas once again mentally cursed the telepathic mutant. _When I get my hands on you..._ "Yes...well, it's rumored there's a temple somewhere up here, but that was just a little side note to the main trip." 

Gambit could hear Douglas grinding his teeth. He was pretty sure even Mastermind could hear it. _The temple was your goal, eh? _"Well, maybe you could show me this temple." 

"It's a rumor, you swamp rat. That means I don't know." Douglas knew he was losing control of the situation. _Damn it! I didn't know he knew about the temple! _

"Why don't we go look for it? Maybe then I'll believe you." Gambit moved to stand. 

_God freakin damn it! I'm so close to freeing myself and he's about to-_ A howl resounding through the mountains caused not only Douglas, but Gambit and Mastermind look away. He knew that howl. It was the one Wolverine used during intense training simulations. _He's not down for the count YET!_

"Gambit. If Wolverine finds us..." Mastermind hadn't moved from his spot, and was still trying to hack the languages on the laptop, but his eyes were wide. 

_What's wrong, telepath? Afraid your tricks won't work on Wolverine?_ Now that Douglas thought about it, that made sense. From what he remembered of the information he had read on Mastermind, the mutant could create telepathic illusions. _But Wolverine's keen ability with scents would allow him to discover you instantly._ _This is getting good._

"I'll handle him. Keep an eye on blonde here." Gambit turned and used his weapon to get to a higher ledge. From there, he began to track where the howl came from. 

Douglas bristled at the term. From Logan, it was a term of affection and protective instincts. From a man like Gambit, though. _I hate that nickname! _The sneer Mastermind had given him did nothing to soothe him. __

__"With you tied up, I doubt you could do much." 

"You want me swearing your ears off again, geezer?" 

Mastermind frowned and turned his attentions to the laptop, not raising to Douglas' bait. 

Douglas grumbled a bit, putting on a front while he moved his fingers as fast as he could. _Come on...once Gambit gets back you're sunk._ Alone he couldn't take the mutant, especially not with his feet tied. But against the old telepath, he stood a chance. _Then I just get the chopper's weapon systems working and shoot the guy. Well, shoot at the guy._ Douglas glanced at his arm, the one Gambit had threatened to blow off earlier. _He's not that bad...I bet if he'd make a great X-man._

Feeling the final knot give way, Douglas turned his attention to the task at hand. _I have to knock out the geezer quickly enough that he can't summon Gambit back. _He pulled his knees towards his chest, noting that Mastermind glanced at him, but quickly turned back to the computer. _And in a way that my research isn't damaged._ Moving one arm slowly, the one he could hide behind his torso, he worked on the ropes around his ankles, pleased to find they weren't as intricately knotted as the ones around his wrists were. _Smug bastard._

Tossing the rope aside, he thought a moment, then decided that if he could use a sneak attack, he would. Mastermind was immersed in his work. _Now or never._ Increasing his grumbling just a tad, he moved as quickly and quietly as he could towards the door into the chopper. _Thank God--well, whatever--that my mind can't be read easily._ Glancing around, he picked up a rock and stood by the door. 

It was at that moment that Mastermind glanced once more to where Douglas should have been, tied up and grumbling. He did a double take when he realized that the younger mutant had escaped his bonds. "Oh no." 

_Shit. Now or never._ Jumping into the flying machine, he tackled Mastermind and held the rock over his head. "Call out telepathically and I'll be cleaning your brains off the insides of this thing." Douglas watched as the telepath's eyes moved from the rock to the face of the person holding it. _Strike now, while he's hesitating. _ Tightening his grip on the man's collar, he slammed the head against the floor. 

Mastermind went limp in his arms. Sighing, Douglas tossed the rock out, then the old man, shutting and locking the door behind them. _Glad Scott taught me how to bluff. If he had called Gambit...oh crap. Gambit._ Ignoring his laptop for a minute, he activated the X-chopper's system, growling slightly as he was stopped by Logan's lock out codes. _Alright, calm down. Just hack the system. You speak computer. Shouldn't take more than five minutes. Tops._

_I just hope I have five minutes to try._

~*()*~ 

"What's up, Professor?" Scott crossed his arms and glanced around the room that contained Cerebro. Even though he had been there during its construction, it still awed him each time he entered the computer room. 

"As hard as it is to believe, I think Cerebro has just been hacked into. From an outside source." Xavier was sitting at the main, and only console in the massive room. "Oddly enough, though, the perpetrator hasn't attempted to mask his origins. I'm tracking it now." 

Scott nodded and waited by the door, waving briefly as Bobby entered the room. "What brings you here?" 

"Prof said a hacker finally got into Cerebro and called me to see what was going on." He moved next to the head instructor and watched as what could only be described as a mix between internet java and basic programming scrolled across a screen. 

"It appears the origin of the hacker is in Europe." Xavier rubbed his chin. According to his contacts, Magneto was hanging out somewhere in northern Canada, presumably to see how the Canadian Mutant Rights Act was progressing. _So who would be interested in us from Europe?_

"Huh. Weird." 

Xavier looked up at the New Mutant. "What is it, Bobby?" 

"I've seen this code before. It was when we--er..." Bobby gave Scott a nervous look. 

Xavier sighed. _It was while he was doing something he wasn't supposed to be doing._ "Go ahead. I won't punish you." 

"Well, see, Doug wanted to check out some of the programming in the Danger Room, and since I was working on my own program to...um..." His eyes once again flitted to Scott. 

Scott blinked, then turned red as he realized Bobby meant something that happened to him. "You mean you were the one who programmed the Danger Room with smut?!" 

Bobby huddled closer to Xavier. "Yeah..." 

Xavier simply rubbed his forehead. "And Douglas was in on this?" 

"Well, no. I gave him his own program to tinker with, and while I was working on mine I watched him a bit." Bobby watched as the screen continued to scroll. "See, the java script is his verbal commands, while the basic programing is what he's actually typing out on the keyboard." He smirked. "Man, I've never heard anyone talk computer language before, but he finished half a program in only a half hour. That beats my record by thirteen minutes." 

Scott, trying to get over his anger, kept his eyes on the screen as the scrolling seemed to slow down a bit. "So this is from Douglas? But why would he hack into Cerebro?" 

Bobby shrugged just as the scrolling screen vanished, only to be replaced by a map of France. It lasted merely a moment, as the map quickly zoomed into the Alps. A blue dot appeared, along with a message screen. Being faster on the uptake than the older mutants, Bobby read through the message first. "Says he's in trouble. Gambit and Mastermind have attacked. Kitty's missing, Wolverine's lost, and he's on his own. Enclosed are exact coordinates and the fastest route via air to get there." Bobby tapped a few keys on the keyboard and another map appeared, this one with a red line from New York to France. "Cool. He works fast." 

"Douglas can't take on any of the Acolytes. We've got to go, Professor." Scott uncrossed his arms and moved closer to the door. "Bobby, can you send that map to the X-Jet?" 

"Already on it. I'll be suited up and ready to go in a minute, too." 

"No, Bobby-" 

"Scott," Xavier turned from the screens to look at the X-Men's leader. "We can't send a whole team. Take Jean, Nightcrawler, and Iceman." 

"But Professor-" 

"Your job will be to protect the three there, and help them find the temple." 

Bobby blinked. "Temple? Why would we care about a stupid temple?" 

"Because, Bobby, if Magneto has an interest there, it may be in the temple. Now hurry and get going." 

"Right!" Bobby grinned and shot out of the room. 

Scott shook his head, but jogged after his fellow X-man. _This will be interesting._

Xavier looked back at the screen and folded his hands together. _Magneto, I doubt you're there just to harass my students. What's there that you don't want us to find? _He watched the blue dot in the Alps flash for a minute. _And Douglas...I hope you can hold out. I hope all of you can hold out until reinforcements arrive._

~*()*~  
~*()*~  
~*()*~ 

Author's Prattle: Well, I said this would be the last chapter with the Acolyte plot line. My mistake. I got so much done that it just had to spill over into chapter twelve. Well, we saw a bit of Kitty, saw a bit of Wolverine...and next chapter, we'll see Kurt again! All Kurt fans go Wai! As for the title, that's the best I could come up with, since everyone in this chapter has different mission objectives. Get it? 

As for what's in store for Douglas, you'll just have to wait and see. Will he escape the clutches of the Acolytes? Will Kitty find him and show him what awed her so? Tune in next chapter!   
Okay, enough oldies TV for me. Disclaimers. I don't own X-Men Evolution or Cipher. They're both products of Marvel. I believe that's it in this chapter. 

As always, reviews are greatly appreciated. Hope you enjoyed! 


	13. The Find of the Decade

**Cipher's Elegy**

****_By Cypher_

Chapter Twelve: The Find of the Decade 

Kurt crossed his arms and scowled out the front windows of the X-Jet. "Why do I have to go?" 

Scott sighed. It had taken less than fifteen minutes to get everyone suited up and ready to go. "Because the Professor said so. We have to go and help our teammates." He began powering up the engines. "You don't want to leave Kitty in the hands of the Acolytes, do you?" 

Kurt's shoulders slumped a bit at that. _That's right. It's not just Douglas. It's Kitty, and Logan._ "But do we have to stay afterwards to help them search for...for...whatever?" 

"Yes. Just in case Magneto decides to try and attack them again." Scott edged the jet forward, picking up speed as they went down the hangar. Glancing at his furry friend, Scott lowered his voice. "Look, I know you and Douglas are going through some issues, but he'll be busy with this temple thing. Just...ignore him." 

From her seat in the back, Jean glanced forward, casting a disapproving look towards Scott. She felt Kurt and Douglas should work out their problems. The last thing she wanted was for either one of them to ignore it. Though technically, Douglas was clueless as to what the problem was. _Scott knows how I feel about this. I can't believe he's telling Kurt to ignore this._ She crossed her arms and looked away, frowning. 

Scott could pick up on Jean's upset, but chose to ignore it. "Just for now, okay? Set an example and be an X-Men, without letting your feelings interfering with your job, alright? I doubt he'll even notice you're there." 

"Because he'll be too busy paying attention to Kitty." Kurt's tail lashed around the arm rest and its spade slapped against it a couple times. 

"Maybe." Scott input the coordinates to the Alps Douglas had sent them and punched the throttle. "Maybe he'll spend all his time at the Temple." 

Kurt snorted and looked away from Scott, watching the clouds part as the jet approached mach one. 

Bobby, oblivious to both the tense conversation between Kurt and Scott, and Jean's anger, grinned and put his hands behind his head. "So, what should we do for the next three hours?" 

~*()*~ 

Kitty sighed as she found herself in a cave that, unfortunately, looked like all the other ones she had been in. The only different one she had managed to locate contained the find she had made a while back. "It's like a maze down here. Who would design a maze for a temple?" 

_Someone who doesn't want something to be found,_ responded a voice in her head, one that sounded suspiciously like Douglas'. 

"I've, like, had him explain history to me way too much." Still, a frown appeared on Kitty's face as she leaned against a wall for a short break. "But that's a good point. Someone doesn't want this place to be found." Her eyes widened. "Magneto! Why else would he send his goons after us?" 

Her shoulders slumped after a minute, though. "Mastermind was looking for what we were looking for, though. Magneto would just set up defenses, right?" She sighed through her nose. Truth be told, she didn't know enough about Magneto and his agendas to make that judgment. "Everything in there had been undisturbed too long to be Magneto's doing anyway." 

Looking around the cave, Kitty scratched her head, trying to figure out what to do now. "I can't keep walking around in circles. I have to get back to Douglas." She hugged herself and stared off, worrying for a moment. Douglas was strong, but she knew his skill wouldn't last against Magneto's other Acolytes. "There's got to be chalk or coal or something around here. If I could just write on the walls..." She felt herself over, hoping she had something on her. "Damn. Nothing." 

Her glow stick dimmed slightly, and she shook it. "Oh no you don't! Don't you dare die on me! I'll, like, be left in the dark!" She was heartened to see it return to its normal luminosity, but knew it would die in another hour, maybe two if she were lucky. "I can't believe I got lost." 

Actually, she could. When she backtracked, she realized she had no idea where to go from the cave she started in. _Except up, and even then, I was pushed, so I fell at an angle._ Staring at her glow stick, an idea started to form in her mind. "No way...I couldn't do that...could I?" Phasing the stick she pushed it halfway into the wall and made it solid, only for a moment, then she pulled it out again. A grin tugged at her lips as a neon green spot was left behind. "Looks like I can." 

Eyeing how much liquid was left, she quickly went around and marked tunnels she had gone down already. "Alright, now we can do something." Taking only a second to mark the next tunnel entrance, she jogged down yet another rocky path. _I'm coming Douglas. Just hang on!_

~*()*~ 

Douglas winced as he felt Mastermind attempt yet another psychic attack. _Hang in there, Douglas. He's gotta be pouring a ton of energy into these otherwise you wouldn't even feel them._ _Eventually he'll pass out._ Scratching his head, he looked over the flying controls. While hacking into the computer core was relatively simple, Logan had set up a completely separate code for the flight and weapon controls. _I could try and write a virus to break down the codes-_ "AGH!" He grabbed his temples. _Except I don't have time for that because of that bastard outside!_

He felt a pain in his arm, and it took him a minute to realize he had fallen over. Something wet and slightly sour reached his lips. Frowning, he licked it, then touched his face and pulled his hand away. _Blood..._ He swallowed. _Oh shit..._ It didn't take long for him notice the trickle was coming from his nose, and he tilted his head back to try to stop the flow. _Xavier was right._

After the discovery of his mental incompatibility, Professor Xavier had explained the advantages and dangers of having such a different mind. _"You see, Douglas, while I cannot scan you instantly, that doesn't mean you're immune."_

_"What do you mean I'm not immune? The way I see it, no telepath should be able to read me. Not unless we spend hours training like you're doing with me."_

_"That's not true, Douglas. The fact of the fact of the matter is, I could read your mind if I wanted to. However, the effort I would have to exert would be near equal to that of wiping the minds of almost a hundred individuals."_

_Douglas smirked and crossed his arms. "In other words, impossible."_

_"Not impossible, Douglas. I have wiped that many minds before."_

_Douglas' smirk faltered. "Oh."_

_"And the scan wouldn't harm just me. Should a telepath force their way into your mind, the neural disruptions and physiological impacts would destroy both your mind and your body. So you see, just because you're immune on the surface, a mutant, like Mastermind, if he wanted to, could kill you by forcing your mind to open to his."_

_"I...see. I'll keep that in mind, Professor."_

Gritting his teeth, Douglas pushed himself into an upright position, still holding his nose. _I didn't think he was too serious about the killing. Or even what the physiological impacts were...damn! I've got to stop Mastermind. Now._ Grunting and searching around for something to deter the old man outside, his eyes landed on weapon's control. _I don't want to kill...but survival doesn't always entail mercy._ Half crawling to the weapon controls, he pulled himself into the chair and started typing, ignoring the blood he was dripping and smearing over the console. _Live now, clean later. _

Mastermind panted as he re-gathered his energies. Without a direct line-of-site, he had to strain his powers to their limit. However, the last blast he had sent, he caught a glimpse within the mutant's mind. Just one word: Exodus. Who or what that was, he wasn't sure. _One more blast, though, and he should pass out._

He jumped when a door underneath the chopper slid aside and a cannon of some sort lowered, aiming in his general direction. _He wouldn't. He's a kid. _The blast of laser energy that flew by his face and singed part of his hair made him rethink that opinion. _If I move farther away, I won't be able to continue my attack._ When the laser blasted again, he had to roll out of the way. _Forget this. Exodus is what the kid wants here. I'll let Magneto figure it out._ Searching for a path, he grabbed a jutting handhold and hauled himself to a higher ledge. 

Douglas let out the breath he was holding as Mastermind disappeared off the targeting sensor. His second blast had nearly killed the geezer, and he didn't want a death on his hands, even if it was in defense. Sitting back in the chair, he felt his nose, grimacing as he felt dried blood. _At least it's stopped flowing. And if it'd been from my ears..._ He shuddered. _One more blast and I think I would've been out. For a good, long time._ Blinking slowly, he set up an auto-defense perimeter, hoping Gambit wouldn't return. _If he comes back, he'll either get hurt, or blow me to bits._

Rubbing his left eye with the back of his hand, he tried to force the telepathic headache away from the front of his mind. _We've got to have something here for headaches. I just have to find it._ _Actually, I could use a bathroom too._ He looked towards the back of the vehicle. _Do I really wanna get up right now?_ Whether from the telepathic attack, or just everything that had happened, Douglas felt rather tired. _Maybe I'll just...sit here and keep an eye out for Wolverine and Kitty. So that I can...turn off the gun._ He yawned. _Stay awake...stay awake...what will help you stay awake? I know. I could do some scans of the area, try and find the temple._

Leaning forward, he stretched his fingers and began typing. _It'll take at least an hour, but I've got at least another two before help arrives. If any arrives at all._

~*()*~ 

Gambit raised his cards and pressed himself against the rock face. His empathy couldn't sense things, but the tension in the air clearly indicated he wasn't alone. _He's around this next bend._ Fanning out four cards, he ignited them and inched towards the turn in the road. _I just hope Mastermind doesn't do anything foolish while I'm away. I think I'm getting to that kid._

Holding his breath, he strained to listen for any sounds from another person. _Nothing. _ While he may not hear anything, his instincts told him Wolverine was nearby. Steeling himself, he slid around the bend and threw the cards, ducking to avoid any claw swipes. What he saw, however, surprised him. His cards merely hit a cliff side almost thirty feet away from him. _Where is he?_

"Looking for me, bub?" 

Gambit didn't look up and quickly rolled out of the way as Wolverine fell from his position above and slammed his claws into the ground. Pulling them out, he glared at the Southerner. "No one messes with my kids. Especially one of Magneto's lackeys." 

Gambit shrugged and backed up a step, sliding another card into his hand. "And what're you gonna do about it?" 

Wolverine stepped forward. "Anything I have to." 

Gambit twirled his staff, trying to deflect the feral mutant's attention. After a second, he hurled the card at Wolverine's feet, exploding the ground and raising a huge dust cloud. Using his staff as a fan, his eyes searched for any sign of his opponent. Three claws suddenly appearing at his throat and an arm clamping down on his bow wrist informed him exactly where he was. 

"Now, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way Cajun." 

Gambit frowned, but raised his hands, dropping his weapon. _How'd he get back there?_

Wolverine grunted at the weapon's release. "What did you want with Blonde?" 

Gambit raised an eyebrow. "What? Have a soft spot for him?" 

"Let's just say I have a...special relationship with him." His claws pressed against the younger mutant's neck. "Now why did you capture him." 

Gambit debated telling the mutant a lie, but knew that wouldn't help his situation much. "What's in it for me?" 

A growl was Gambit's response. "If he's unharmed, I'll let you go. This time, Cajun. Only this time." 

Gambit nodded. "Fair enough, though Blonde figured it out on his own. Magneto wanted to know what you were up to." 

"And Douglas?" 

"He was fine, tied up just outside your chopper." 

"Was?" 

Gambit tried not to swallow as one adamantium claw dug into his flesh hard enough to draw a bead of blood. "When I left, he was fine. I don't know if anything's happened since then." 

Wolverine waited a moment, then threw Gambit to the side, nearly off the cliff itself. "If I find you've lied, Gambit, I will hunt you down." 

Eyeing the long way down, Gambit took a step towards the cliff face. "I'll be waiting, chere." 

Wolverine growled once more, then turned and hurried away. 

Retrieving his staff, he retracted it and walked away from the direction Logan was heading. _Time to head home. I'll just pick up Mastermind on the way back to Magneto's. Wonder if the geezer's found anything yet._ A smirk tugged at the edges of his lips. _Geezer. I'll have to tell the others of that. Blonde certainly knows how to name 'em._

~*()*~ 

"Is that a jet taking off?" 

Kurt blinked, surprised at Scott's sudden question. "What? Is what taking off." 

"There." Scott pointed at the Alps. While at least twenty minutes away, the mountains were plainly visible, as was the small craft ascending from them. "Could it be the Velocity?" 

Jean narrowed her eyes, extending her senses momentarily. "No, it's not. It's...Acolytes. It's the Acolytes!" 

Scott responded by changing course and putting the jet in a nosedive, trying to come up behind the smaller jet. "Who's on it?" 

Jean, loosening the restraints, tried to focus on who was inside. "Gambit...Mastermind. That's all I can sense. But if Douglas was in there-" 

"You wouldn't sense him." Scott leveled the jet off and glanced at Kurt. "Think you can pop in long enough to see if he's there?" 

Kurt grimaced. He wouldn't have minded if they did take the blue-eyed translator. However, his duty as an X-man superseded that feeling and he gave Scott a curt nod. Spotting the window, and the empty copilot's seat, he teleported himself over. 

"What the-" 

Ignoring the Cajun mutant, Kurt did a brief scan of the interior cabin before waving and returning to the safety of the X-Jet. "All clear. He's not aboard." 

"Right." Scott pulled the jet back and headed for the Alps and the landing coordinates Douglas had given them. "We'll be there in twenty-five minutes. It seems the Acolytes have been scared away, but some of our people might be hurt." 

Bobby looked rather dismayed at the fact the enemy had left. "Man this sucks. That means I won't get to practice being an X-Man." 

"Saving and helping our teammates is part of being an X-Man as well." Jean glanced at Kurt. "Even when we don't like them as friends." 

Kurt frowned and faced forward, crossing his arms again. _Way to be subtle, Jean. _

__Bobby simply sulked. _This bites! _

__~*()*~ 

"Mr. Logan!" 

Wolverine turned as Kitty phased right through the cliff face. "Where've you been?" 

"You wouldn't, like, believe what I've gone through. Douglas pushed me out of danger and I fell into these caves and I've been wandering for hours trying to--where's Douglas?" 

"By the Velocity." He sniffed the air and scowled. 

Kitty glanced in the direction he seemed to be headed. "What's wrong?" 

"Blood. I swear, if that Cajun harmed him..." Logan jogged towards the chopper, climbing over a jutting of rock before his pupil could phase him. As he landed, though, a beam of energy hit him square in the shoulder and he stumbled back, letting out a short string of words he wasn't supposed to say around students. 

"Mr. Logan? Are you like, okay?" 

"Watch yourself, Half-pint. The Velocity has its cannon out." He dodged another shot and hid in a rather small alcove. 

"Can you see Douglas?" 

"They must've dragged him inside." 

"Right. I'll get the cannon and see how he is." Kitty ran through the rock outcropping and kept herself phased, ignoring the laser as it passed through her. 

Logan knew it was useless to protest. Besides, his shoulder was rather badly burned, and would take several hours to regenerate. _Her phasing should get her through this._

Sure enough, Kitty slid into the ground, and came up through the cannon, shorting it out. Smiling, she pulled herself up into the main cabin. "Douglas, I-" She choked on her words as she saw the state of her boyfriend. 

His hands, the front of his uniform, and half of his face was covered in blood. His hands were resting on the keyboard, the now bloody keyboard, heavily, pushing in some of the keys. What scared her the most, though, was his head, and how it was lolled to the side. His entire body was limp. 

"Douglas. Oh God...Douglas!" Kitty hurriedly looked for a pulse, and her knees nearly gave out as she found it, strong and steady. "Douglas...oh God, you scared me you jerk." She rubbed his shoulder. "Douglas, are you okay?" 

"Huhzwha?" Douglas squinted up. "Kitty? Wha..." He rubbed his eyes. "What...where have you been?" He blinked a few times and sat up. "I've been worried." 

"You've been worried about me? You scared me half to death! What's with the blood?"  
Douglas tilted his head, then looked down at his hands and shirt. "I, um, Mastermind tried to read my mind. He...I think a couple blood vessels in my nose burst. It's worse than it looks, really." He offered Kitty a small smile. "The headache's almost gone. I guess my body just needed to shut down for a bit to repair the damage." He stood and held open his arms. "I'm...sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." 

Kitty stepped forward and accepted the embrace, trying not to let out the few tears that had gathered when she thought the Acolytes had left him-_No, don't go there. Just don't._ "If you ever do that again, I swear..." 

"It'll never happen again. That I promise." Douglas rubbed Kitty's back, trying to soothe her. _I must've really given her a scare. _

"Oh! Douglas, you'll never guess what I found! You have to see this!" Kitty began phasing the two of them through the floor. 

"Wait! Can't I...clean up a bit?" The dried blood was starting to get on his nerves. 

"Trust me, you don't want to wait." 

Just at that moment, Logan pried open the door. "Thanks for unlocking it--kids?" 

"We'll be right back, Mr. Logan. I just have to show Douglas something." 

Douglas gave his teacher a weak smile and shrug before being pulled down through the floor of the chopper. 

Logan stared where the two teens had been for a moment, trying to comprehend what just happened. _The blood must've been someone else's. But why'd he have it all over himself, then?_ Something told him he'd be searching for Gambit for some payback soon. 

"Okay, we're here." Scott ran up behind Logan, hand on his visor. 

Nightcrawler teleported right into the cabin. "Where's the danger, Herr Logan?" 

Logan grumbled and rubbed his forehead. "You missed it." 

"I told you this sucked. And I was so looking forward to kicking some Acolyte butt." Bobby crossed his arms as his body de-iced itself. "Hey, where's Kitty and Doug?" 

Logan pointed down as Jean began examining his shoulder. "You just missed them, too." 

~*()*~ 

"Kitty, where're we going? And how'd you know about this cave complex?" 

Kitty, having grabbed Douglas' emergency glow stick, was following the trail of neon marks she had left behind that had led her to the surface. "Well, when you pushed me through the mountain side, I fell and lost consciousness, and woke up in this complex. While I was wondering, I came across something I thought might interest you." 

Douglas furrowed his brow. "We should've brought the others. What if there's a cave in? Or-" 

"I can phase us, silly. And besides, haven't you noticed? The tunnels are man made." Kitty paused at the edge of a tunnel and looked at him. 

Hesitantly, Douglas examined the tunnel entrance. _It's jagged, but there's a definite straightedge under here, one that's not natural._ "You've got keen eyes." 

Kitty giggled. "I just remembered it from hanging around with you." She took his hand and led him down another tunnel. "It's just a little farther. You won't believe it when you see it." 

"See what? And...isn't that the vibration we heard earlier?" 

"Yep!" With that, Kitty paused outside one more tunnel entrance, this one containing light on the other side of it. "After you." 

Eyeing his girlfriend, and wondering if she'd hit her head when she fell, he took a few steps towards the light. _That's definitely the noise we heard earlier. But what the hell is it? _His caution subsiding, he walked more swiftly towards the light. As he stepped out of the tunnel, his footing faltered, and he fell to the ground. Kitty was by his side in an instant, but he didn't notice. All he could see were the crystals. And the structure laying before them. 

"That's it, isn't it?" Kitty's voice had an almost reverent tone. "That's what we came for." 

Douglas nodded slowly. He couldn't tear his eyes off the building that was before him. "The Temple of Exodus." 

~*()*~ 

~*()*~ 

~*()*~ 

Author's Prattle: Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. My sister had her wisdom teeth taken out, my mom had to go to the hospital, and the writing energy just got sucked from my body. On the plus side, it gave me time to figure out how the ending of this would occur, another 7th Heaven plot, and some SG-1 ideas. And if you're worried about my family, it's alright. Sis is now at cheer leading camp, mom's back home, and I'm listening to my new Jpop CD. Life is good. 

Disclaimers. I don't own X-Men Evolution, Cipher, or Exodus. They all belong to Marvel. I believe that's it this chapter. Not many, huh? Oh, and the title is referring to the confirmation that Kitty had found the Temple. It was the best I could come up with, since so much happens in this chapter. 

Hmm...well, we're really getting close to the ending. I estimate two...maybe three more chapters until the end. Any who, as always, reviews are welcome, and please, enjoy! 


	14. Exodus Unleashed

**Cipher's Elegy**

_By Cypher_

__Chapter Thirteen: Exodus Unleashed 

_Who knew the X-Jet had a shower? _Douglas closed his eyes and smiled as the water slid over his body. It had taken him nearly fifteen minutes to tear himself away from the Temple of Exodus and return to Logan. He was surprised when Kitty phased them through the rock face and he literally ran into Scott. It was only his quick ducking that saved him from being blasted by the team leader's mutant powers. _Guess he was a bit paranoid some of the Acolytes were left._

Running his hands through his hair, he leaned against the wall, not a difficult feat since the show was about as big as small phone booth. _And Kitty...I need to take her out to a special dinner after we get back. Not just for finding the Temple, but for nearly scaring her to death._ Jean had practically pounced on him with the First Aid kit when he rejoined the group, and when he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror, he could understand why. _You never realize just how much blood you have in you until a small thing like a blood vessel explodes. _The front of his uniform was completely ruined, and his face looked like a bad Halloween costume. __

_Logan's not going to be happy when he sees the blood on the keyboard._ Running a hand over his chin, trying to make sure all the dried blood was washed away, he rotated one of his shoulders. Being tied up for a few hours was not a pleasant way to spend the afternoon, and he made a mental note to thank Logan for the few hostage situations he had been forced to practice. _My muscles would be more sore, otherwise. Sometimes I envy Kurt's agility._

_Kurt..._ Douglas lowered his eyes and his smile faded. He, like the others, were worried he was seriously hurt due to the blood. When Douglas had explained that it was just a side effect of Mastermind's attacks, the others seemed relieved, but Kurt, Kurt just turned and walked off. _I've got to talk with him. I would've thought he'd be relieved I was okay like the rest of them, but his posture indicated--oh shut up. Listen to yourself. You're quoting that psychology book. This is a friend, well, a supposed friend. _Rubbing his arms, he felt himself start to wrinkle. _After we're through at the Temple, I'm gonna corner him and find out what the Hell is going on._

__Shutting off the water, he briefly wondered how one cornered a teleporter. _Well, if I can find this temple, I'm sure I can figure out how to keep Kurt in one place. _

~*()*~ 

"This is fascinating." Hank McCoy scanned through the Egyptian texts Douglas had left behind, making his own notes on a pad of paper. "What Douglas translated and solved in a couple months would've taken archeologists years, maybe even decades to figure out." 

Xavier folded his hands together and nodded. "For his literature report he turned in his translation of 'Finnegan's Wake.' While he may not be the most powerful mutant physically, his mental capacity is astounding." He looked up at the computer screen, displaying multiple notes from Douglas' translations. "However, for all his intelligence, he may not know the danger he's in." 

"What do you mean?" 

"These notes all mention the apocalypse." Xavier typed something on the keyboard, highlighting various symbols. "However, they don't all match each other." 

Hank looked up at the screen and nodded. "Indeed. But having multiple symbols for the same meaning isn't unheard of." 

"Nonetheless, it worries me. One could mean the end of the world, but the other..." Xavier let Hank make the connection. 

"I see your point. But how can we know?" Hank set his notes aside and began searching the internet. 

"I've sent these notes to a friend of mine who works in archeology and Egyptology. Hopefully he will be able to tell us if they're both simply the event." 

Hank continued his search anyway. "Isn't there a chance he'll figure out what Douglas did and ruin the discovery?" 

"It's a risk we must take. If this is some minion of Apocalypse, we may be dealing with more than just a Temple." 

Hank sighed. "Then let us hope it is merely the end of the world." 

~*()*~ 

"Man, this place is so cool!" Bobby grinned and put his hands behind his head, walking around the cavern filled with crystals. 

"Just don't touch anything." Scott knew he'd have to keep an eye on the New Mutant more than the others. "And no powers in here." 

Kurt snorted at Bobby's crestfallen look. _He'll get used to it._ Looking around, even he had to admit the place was fairly impressive. The crimson crystals were littered everywhere, from the edge of the tunnel walls all the way up to the ceiling. Each carved in a specific shape, and each emitting a slight vibration that seemed to prevent him from gripping surfaces the way he normally could. It wasn't the crystals alone, however. The temple itself was nothing to sneeze at, despite the fact Logan did. 

Swishing his tail, Kurt crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, eyeing the temple. Its foundation raised directly from the cave floor. There was no clean break, or any indication that there ever had been. Columns, almost Romanesque, were along the first story, six total, and each nearly ten feet tall. Oddly, while there was an entrance in the center of the pillars, there appeared to be two more sealed doors off to either side. Each door frame had some sort of runic writing, which, Kurt observed, Douglas was reading carefully. How dust and erosion had failed to touch them was a mystery, but there was a large crimson crystal carved into each door. 

"Cyttorak crystals. They give off a special radiation that affects only mutants." 

Douglas glanced back at Scott's comment. "You've encountered them before?"  
Jean grimaced. "Magneto used them on him once." 

"That, like, explains why he sent his henchmen here. He probably knew that there were so many and didn't want us to get them." Kitty, not knowing how to read any of the inscriptions, settled for merely standing near Douglas. 

"It matches what these hieroglyphs say, roughly. Something about how the power of the gems will give Gods power or protect the weak." Douglas scratched his head. "Or protect the weak? Something must've rubbed off." 

Kurt rolled his eyes, frowning slightly as they caught sight of a large crystal placed in the center of the upper story. There weren't any other windows, or crystals for that matter, on the front of the domed building; but the blood red of the crystal far more than made up for it. At first glance, it appeared to be a form of stain glass window. However, Douglas had pointed out that the crystal itself was embedded into the stone wall, and there was rock within the circular design. Kurt had shuddered after taking a closer look. The circle merely connected the points of a pentagram, encompassing numerous symbols, some Christian, some astrological, and some he couldn't decipher. 

Douglas had cleared that up. "It's Egyptian in base design." 

"There were pentagrams in Ancient Egypt?" Kitty rubbed the back of her head. 

"They were scarce, but they existed. It's thought that other cultures picked up that particular design from them, and altered it to suit their religions. Of course, without a time machine, or time-traveling mutant, there's no real way to confirm or deny any allegation. And since this temple is in France, it could be argued that it's not Egyptian at all." 

Bobby crossed his arms. "So how do you know it's Egyptian? For all we know, you're just talking and making stuff up." 

Douglas ignored the not so subtle insult. "Unlike the other crystals, some of the symbols, the Egyptian ones, seem a bit worn, and even appear to have lost their glow." 

"That, like, could be due to the surrounding rock absorbing the radiation, if that's what makes them glow." 

Douglas nodded at Kitty. "Exactly." 

Kurt walked over to Bobby, glancing around the side of the temple. The crystals from the wall seemed to increase in number and in length, and yet none ever actually touched the temple. _Strange. _

"Man, I'm so bored. Why'd we have to wait so long to come out here? I wanted to kick some Acolyte butt." 

Kurt simply lashed Bobby in the leg. 

"Hey! That hurt-" 

"Wolverine?" 

Logan turned his attention from the two younger mutants and faced the blond that had brought them here. "Yeah?" 

"I think I've figured out how to open the temple. However..." He glanced at Kitty. 

Kitty stepped forward, having talked with Douglas about the translation. "There's a warning that to do so will break the seal." 

"Seal?" Scott ran a hand through his hair as he eyed each of the doors. "What seal?" 

Douglas stepped away from the temple and faced it. "That's what I've been trying to figure out. There's no seal on the doors. They look like impenetrable rock, but apparently all you have to do is touch the crystals and they open." 

Jean, who had, until that point, been watching the entrance to the cave, turned her head and scanned the room with her green eyes. "You know..." 

Douglas stepped back from Scott and crossed his arms. "Yeah?" 

"This may sound crazy, but if you come back here and look at the whole," she took a step back, furrowing her brow, "the crystals kind of have a Feng Shui look to them." 

"Feng Shui?" Douglas scratched his head at that. "You know, I've heard of that." 

"It, like, has to do with the flow of negative and positive energy in a room." Kitty rubbed the back of her leg with one foot. "It would explain why the crystals are placed in such weird ways." 

"But Fen Shui is an Asian art, right? How could an Asian art that was never heard of in the twelfth century find its way to an obscure Temple in the middle of Europe?" 

"You're the genius. You figure it out." 

Douglas' head snapped towards Kurt. While the words weren't hurtful, the tone Kurt had used almost seemed...taunting. "Alright, I will. Wolverine, can Kurt take me to the surface to do a quick bit of research on Feng Shui, and update Professor Xavier on our status?" 

Logan glanced at Kurt, who had gone tense at the suggestion. 

~Those two need to work out their problems. This is a good time. Kurt's about to explode and Douglas wants to confront him.~ 

Logan snarled briefly, not liking Jean in his mind. She did, however, have a good point. "Alright. Twenty minutes." 

Douglas nodded, hugging Kitty briefly, before jogging over to his blue roommate. 

Kurt heaved a sigh, rested a hand on the blond's shoulder, and the two of them disappeared in a puff of smoke. 

~*()*~ 

"Okay, Professor Xavier knows how we're doing." Kurt looked over his shoulder at Douglas, who remained hunched over his own console. "Hello. Did you hear me?"  
"What? Yeah, sure. Xavier knows. Great." Douglas frowned, his eyes moving back and forth as he read the information from the internet scrolled down his screen. "This is like religion." 

Kurt tensed at that. "Excuse me?" 

"Well, there are coincidences, and it seems to be a real thing, but all the supposed 'changes' by decorating a room could be achieved by altering one's perceptions on the world." 

"It's faith." 

"Faith-" Douglas blinked. _Wait, you want him to like you again. Attacking his faith in Catholicism isn't going to help._

Kurt crossed his arms. "Yes?" 

"Nothing. It's nothing." Going back to his search, he began downloading a Feng Shui program. _Hope Xavier doesn't mind the bill he's gonna get._ Looking at the clock, he bit his lip. _What the hey. _Turning his chair around, he crossed his arms, mimicking Kurt's position. 

Kurt frowned. "It's not nothing. What were you going to say about faith?" 

"That's not important. Really, it was nothing." 

"What, you don't think I can take it? Throw your worst at me." 

"Are you trying to pick a fight?" 

"What if I am?" 

"What the hell is with you? When I first came you wanted to be friends, but for the past couple months, you've been a complete jerk!" 

Kurt snarled. "That's because you took something that was mine!" 

Douglas blinked. "You mean...you're upset over that?!" 

"Of course I'm upset!" 

"It's a book! And I returned it intact. I just needed to look up some obscure reference in the Old Testament." 

Kurt's tail stopped moving, and his eyes widened momentarily. "You...what?" 

"If it'll make you feel better, I'm sorry for borrowing your Bible without asking." 

Kurt stared at the blond, not sure how to respond. _He...how can he not know?!_

Douglas shifted his legs, trying to keep them from falling asleep. "I'm sorry, okay?" 

Kurt stood and clenched his hands. "It wasn't that! How can you be a genius and still be such...such...such an idiot!" 

"Then I'm sorry for whatever it was I did!" Douglas stood up, keeping eye contact with the teleporter. "And what the hell are you upset about me taking? I've never taken anything from you!" 

Kurt stepped closer and bared his fangs. "You took my Kaetzchen!" 

Douglas took a step back, not really intimidated by the angry look, but by the accusation. "Your...Kitty?" It took his mind a moment to register he meant his girlfriend, and not some fuzzy pet. "I...your Kitty?" He narrowed his eyes. "Wait, she wasn't your Kitty! She's nobody's Kitty! And how was I supposed to know, huh?! She hit on me!" 

"That doesn't matter! Everyone knew how much I liked her, and you just went and took her!" 

"I didn't know! What, was it supposed to be in the information packet? Was I supposed to read about it on the bathroom walls? I'm not telepathic! She asked me out, I said yes! There was no...no taking!" 

Kurt's tail lashed against the chair behind him, damaging the armrest slightly. "But she was mine! And then you went and took Jamie from me too! He's my little brother!" 

"Took Jamie? Stole Kitty? Are you listening to yourself? I was clueless about your feelings for Kitty, and your position in Jamie's life! Both of them approached me, both of them asked for a favor, and no one ever said ANYTHING about you!" Douglas noted some tears had gathered around Kurt's eyes, but refused to escape. 

"It still felt like you stole them! You should've asked me!" 

Douglas fell silent for a moment, before storming forward and standing chest-to-chest with Kurt. "I had no reason to think either person was involved with you, I had no knowledge of your feelings, and I have never sought to take anything from you! Instead of talking to me, you just shut it all up inside and alienated yourself from me! I am not to blame here!" 

"Yes you are!" 

"No I'm not! Stop making excuses because you weren't mature enough to face me! Hell, you can't even face yourself! Grow up, Kurt! All I ever wanted to be was your friend!" 

"Then why'd you...you..." Kurt heaved and backed away, glaring at the blue eyes that challenged him. "You took Kaetzchen." 

"I took zilch. I was offered something, and I accepted. It was never about hurting you, it was never about ruining your life. I just wanted to fit in and get along, and I did. You're the one who turned it into this...perverted taking thing." Douglas stepped back, leaning against the hull of the Velocity. "I'm sorry you're upset, but you never said a thing." 

Kurt collapsed into his chair, panting slightly. "If I had told you I liked Kitty, and asked you not to date her, would you have?"  
Douglas stared at the floor a few minutes before rolling his shoulders. "I don't know. I want to say I'd respect your wishes, but I can't honestly say I would. She was the first girl to ever ask me out." 

"So what would talking have accomplished?" He rubbed his eyes. He hadn't even been aware he had tears gathering there until he felt the fur on his fingers get moist. 

"You wouldn't have kept the feelings bottled up, and maybe we'd still be friends." Douglas ran a hand through his hair. "I can't believe this is all because you were jealous of me." 

"You were getting everything I ever wanted. Dating Kitty, immediate acceptance-" 

Douglas scoffed. "Immediate acceptance? Please. Roberto and Sam still think I'm a nerd." 

"The point is, most everybody accepted you immediately. And Jamie, he thinks more highly of you than he does of anyone." 

"Are you kidding? He's always talking about you. I'm just helping him with his powers. You're like his brother." Douglas blinked as the computer beeped at him, but he ignored it for now. "Look, Kurt...I've just been trying to fit in, and to be your friend." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm...sorry I hurt you. I really had no intention, or knowledge, of any of it. So...you think maybe we could still be friends?" 

Kurt eyed Douglas, looking him up and down. While his posture was still defensive, his blue eyes were pleading, open, and completely unhostile. _He's still dating Kitty, though._ "Maybe." His tail coiled around the base of the chair. "I...it's not like I can just forgive you on a whim. But...maybe, with some time. I really did like Kitty..." 

_Forgive me? Don't push it, Douglas. It's the best you're gonna get._ "Alright. I understand." Taking his seat once again, he looked at the program he had just downloaded. "Now, let's see if Jean's Feng Shui idea was right..." 

~*()*~ 

"Charles, I don't know who you had translate this, but I want him on my staff. Immediately." 

Xavier smiled, though his friend couldn't see it over the phone. Beside him, McCoy was comparing Douglas' notes with his own, double-checking the teen's findings. "Yes, well, one day he just might. In the meantime, however, was his translation correct? Is it the end of the world?" 

McCoy looked over at him. Both of them knew that the apocalypse translations were questionable, especially since Douglas hadn't focused on them so much as locating the temple. 

"Well, most of the Arabic and Celtic writings speak of the apocalypse itself. It's mostly the Egyptian hieroglyphs that personify the world. For instance, in one set of glyphs your friend translated Exodus as being a servant for the end of the world. However, the order of the preceding glyphs indicates that the word 'Apocalypse' is capitalized and personified, with the same tone as used when writing about a God or pharaoh. It's a subtle difference, though, and only something an expert would catch. What he accomplished was still impressive, though." 

"Are you saying," McCoy butt in, "that this Exodus being worshiped Apocalypse?" 

"Er, yes. Though worshiped would be too strong a term. From these writings, and those of the Celtic and Arabic texts, it appears that Exodus was Apocalypse's right hand man, so to speak. Perhaps that's why in the other texts it seems more like he was the servant of the end of the world. The myth from Egypt spread, but since there was no Apocalypse God-" 

"Thank you, my friend." Xavier cut him off, already preparing a message to send to the Velocity. 

"Wait, before you go, could you send the rest of the text? While there may be some minor errors, what I've read is almost dead on-" 

"We'll ask him when he returns. Thank you again." McCoy disconnected the phone line and frowned at the school's headmaster. "It would appear our young Mr. Ramsey has single-handedly stumbled upon a servant of Apocalypse." 

"Yes. The question is, is anyone there, and if so, is he dead, or alive?" Xavier sent the communication, willing someone to answer on the other side. 

~*()*~ 

"Man, what's keeping them so long? There's nothing to do down here." Bobby had worked his way and was leaning against the temple wall near the middle door. His hands were resting behind his head, and he watched as Kitty looked over the doors once more, avoiding the crystals that would open them. 

Scott refused to take his eyes off the young mutant. A bored Bobby was a dangerous Bobby, and with the warning Douglas had read, the seal, he wanted to be extra sure nothing was opened before it should be. Bobby did have one good point, though. Logan had sent Kurt and Douglas with a time limit of twenty minutes. It was now bordering on thirty, and he was starting to get worried. _What if the Acolytes returned? But then, wouldn't Kurt have teleported down? Unless he was hurt, then they could both be in trouble-_

"They're fine, Scott, they're just working out their differences." Jean placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Trust me, there's nothing to worry about." 

"It's still longer than I told them to take." Logan sniffed the air, frowning. There was something about this room that felt wrong, and his instinct told him the longer they stayed, the more likely something bad was going to happen. "The elf knows when I give a time limit, I mean it." 

Jean glanced at the older mutant. "Let them be this time, Logan. Douglas and Kurt really need to work out their animosity before something explodes." 

_Namely, Kurt._ Scott yawned and eyed the crystals around them. _It's weird, really. I mean, I know that ancient civilizations put a lot of ornamental stuff in temples, but all of these are outside the temple. It could be decorative, but-_

"Bobby, what'd you do?!" 

Kitty's voice cut through Scott's thoughts and his head snapped towards the temple. 

"Nothing, I swear! It was your phasing!" 

"It was not!" 

The other X-Men quickly rushed toward the entrance of the temple. Scott wasn't sure who to scold, and didn't have time to think about it as the three crystals on the doors rose into small alcoves above, covering spiraling texts that Douglas hadn't had time to look at. The doors themselves rose into some hidden place directly above, revealing the darkened interior of the stone building. 

"Oh, like gross!" Kitty covered her nose and mouth with a hand and stepped a few paces back. "It's like something crawled in there and died!" 

"It's been hundreds of years since it's been opened. The air's probably stale." Scott noticed Bobby and Jean stepping back as well while he covered his nose with his arm. 

"That's not just stale air. That's the stench of death." Logan unsheathed his claws, eyeing all three doorways warily. "People died in here when it was sealed." 

"On purpose?" Bobby iced himself up. "Or did they get sealed in accidentally?" 

"Who knows." Jean eyed the two younger mutants. "So how'd this happen?" 

"I like, wanted to see what was on the inside, and I tried phasing through the door, only I couldn't for some reason and-" 

"Her head hit the crystal," Bobby finished. "So do you think there's any treasure in there?" 

Scott rolled his eyes. _Only you, Bobby, would be thinking of something like that at this time._

"So are we gonna go in or what?" 

Wolverine braved one whiff of the air. "I don't smell anything dangerous, but be careful. It's old, and this time," he glared at both Kitty and Bobby, "don't touch anything, even if you think you can phase. Got it?" 

"Yes sir," both mutants replied. 

Grunting, Wolverine stepped into the shadowed building. Kitty and Bobby followed next, and Jean and Scott brought up the rear. 

"So all three doors lead to one room," Kitty observed, glancing at the three sources of light for the room. The floor appeared to be white marble, as did the walls, but the rest of the room was covered in darkness. 

"Alright, everyone get out your glow stick, and don't wander." Scott pulled his own glow stick out and cracked it. He jumped and let out a yelp when the first thing he saw was a human skull directly next to him. 

"Scott, you okay?" Jean knelt by him and held her glow stick up, to try and see what had scared him. 

Seeing that it wasn't a real skull, but an elaborate tapestry hanging from the wall--_Perfectly intact, too. How'd that happen?_--Scott patted his chest and stood up. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just..wasn't expecting to see that." His visor allowed him to see a bit more in the dark than a normal human. Holding up his glow stick, he tried to make out the picture on the hanging rug. _Skulls, death, destruction...who the hell is this Exodus?_ He thought he saw pictures of pyramids, but he didn't have time to look more closely. 

"Uh, guys? I think I found the dead thing." Bobby had followed the scent trail to where it was strongest, discovering mostly powder, but a few skeletons that had remained mostly intact. "Dead things, anyway." 

"Like, icky." Kitty frowned. "Hey, how'd they survive? Over hundreds of years they should've disintegrated." 

"Must've been because the place was sealed." Logan stopped walking as his glow stick revealed yet another wall. _This can't be the entire chamber. The temple's bigger than that._

Jean was by his side shortly, staring at the wall with him. Her eyes seemed slightly glazed, and, Logan noticed, that she was floating off the ground, rather than walking. "Red? You okay?" 

The other mutants moved towards their position at Logan's words. 

"Jean?" Scott tugged at her arm. _Could this be a side effect of the crystals? Or...is this something else?_

"Exodus..." The word was hardly above a whisper, but the look of terror that crossed Jean's face was enough to alert Scott that they were in danger. 

"Everyone out-ugh!" Scott collapsed on the floor, unconscious. 

"It's a trap!" Logan held his claws up and looked around. Two bolts of yellow energy, streaming out from the darkness within the room, struck the base of his neck, and for an instant, he stood, paralyzed. Then he fell to the ground as well, unconscious. 

Bobby and Kitty fell next, each hit with a similar streak of energy, leaving only Jean, who remained levitating. Turning around, she fixed her green eyes on the darkest region of the room. She knew she would be attacked next, and set up a physical shield as well as a mental one. _I've got to warn Kurt and Douglas! We've unleashed, oh God we've unleashed-_ The energy punctured her shields as if they were a bullets tearing through paper. Collapsing in a heap, she stared out into the darkness, meeting two azure eyes, still glowing bright with energy. _We've unleashed....Exodus._

~*()*~ 

~*()*~ 

~*()*~ 

Author's Prattle: Ahhh! Gomen nasai! I didn't mean for this chapter to take so long! But I took a brief vacation, and then some family crisis arose, and then school started and I can't write in ANY of my classes (well, maybe Myths, but that's still only an hour. And that's only IF I can get the good desk...but I digress). So, everything's kinda slow. I don't know when the next chapter will be out, as I've been ignoring my other fics, and it's time I got back to them as well. So I'm going to be alternating between fics, but I also have homework, not to mention a ton of reading, online exams.... 

Blah blah, enough about my problems. Disclaimers! I don't own X-Men: Evolution or Cipher or Exodus. They all belong to Marvel and whoever else. I also don't own Finnegan's Wake. I believe it belongs to James Joyce, but I'm not sure, however I know I mentioned it in a previous chapter, so look there. Umm...I don't think I had any original charas, the person on the phone was just any Egyptologist. So...basically, I don't own anything except the plot. 

Some people have asked where in the Evo-verse does this fic take place. Well...it's somewhat AU. The Brotherhood is still attending school, most season two stuff and some season three has occurred, and Xavier knows who Apocalypse is (though I think all powerful mutants do, ne?). Is Apocalypse himself awake? No. I haven't seen those episodes, so I won't include that he's awake. 

Well, that's it for now! With luck I'll get the next chapter out in a month or two...though I've got YaoiCon coming up...and that midterm paper...the latex project...well, I will get back to it, I promise. I have BIG plans...and the action's just getting warmed up! Reviews are always welcome, and laters! 


	15. And So It Begins

**Cipher's Elegy**

_By Cypher_

__Chapter Fourteen: And So It Begins 

"Now this is odd..." Douglas scratched the back of his head, staring at the computer screen in front of him. 

Kurt, from his seat across the aisle, glanced in the blond's direction. After the fight he had realized that they were over Logan's time limit, but as none of the mutants had tried to contact them, he thought they didn't mind. _Or they knew we'd fight and that's why Logan agreed to send me up here._ He wouldn't put it past the older mutant. "What's odd?" He sat up a bit. _Might as well start trying to be nice to him again._

"Well, as I understand it, Feng Shui is the art of positive and negative energy, and its flow in the world." 

Kurt nodded, rested his chin on his hand. "Ja. It's why Jean goes nuts whenever Bobby or I move stuff in her room." 

"Well, this program I downloaded allows me to alter a room to see what the flow of energy would be like." Douglas tapped a few keys on the console. 

Kurt looked towards the ceiling. _That would explain the strange phrases he was using earlier, after our fight. He must've been hurrying to make this...room._ "And it didn't do what you wanted it to do?" 

"That's just it. It did everything perfectly, but there's something odd about the result." 

Sighing, Kurt finally got up and padded over to Douglas. Resting one hand on the back of his chair and leaning over the mutant's shoulder, Kurt's yellow eyes scanned the screen. "The red lines are flow of negative energy?" 

"And the blue of positive, yes." 

Kurt tilted his head. "So...this is saying all the energy is being focused into the Temple?" 

Douglas nodded. "That's what I don't get. The crystals are aligned so that any energy flow is impossible. It's like whoever designed this place didn't want energy of any kind to work inside the temple, or for any energy to leave." He rubbed his chin. "That makes sense, kinda. I mean, if you're a God and a temple is a sanctuary, and assuming Exodus did exist, it's only logical he wouldn't want any sort of stray energy from rival Gods to do damage." 

Kurt nodded, his tail swishing back and forth as he thought. "But that doesn't explain why the positive energy is focused specifically on the crystals in the temple walls." 

Douglas leaned to the side to look at Kurt, a smile tugging at his lips. "Yeah. You get this?" 

"Sort of." Kurt stared at the screen another moment. "What would happen if the doors were open?" 

Douglas sat back up and typed a few commands into the computer. "Well, if the Cyttorak crystals move into the grooves above and the doors vanish..." He hit enter and waited for the computer to make his adjustments. 

Kurt blinked as the screen changed. "The energy is no longer a direct beam into the Temple." 

Douglas snapped his fingers. "The seal. It must be referring to the energy flow keeping...something inside the Temple." He stood up and started pacing. "This means that not only did this Exodus, Hell, ancient civilizations know that Cyttorak crystals had some sort of energy, which we know as radiation, but that Exodus himself was-" Douglas froze and stared off, his eyes widening. "Oh God..." 

Kurt blinked and straightened. "What?" 

"Exodus wasn't just some God that jumped from civilization to civilization. Kurt, Exodus was a mutant! That means that any number of myths weren't just myths, they were ancient mutants!" 

Kurt just remained still, a bit stunned at the accusation. "You mean..." 

"Medusa, Apollo, Ra, Anubis, anyone from ancient mythology could've been a mutant! Not just that, they were the first mutants to ever emerge on Earth." His brow furrowed. "But something...something sent the gene into remission, so that very few mutants existed again until now." 

Kurt frowned. "Aren't you jumping to conclusions? What if it's only this God?" 

Douglas shook his head. "No. I'm sure, I'm positive! I just need...just need proof!" Douglas blinked, pausing in his ramblings. "Is something ringing?" 

Kurt looked around, then glanced at the front of the Velocity. "I think it's the communication panel." He headed to the front chair and sat down, eyeing the controls. _Damn Logan. I told him I needed training for this thing too._

"It's this one." Douglas, having followed Kurt, reached over the furry mutant's shoulder and pushed a button, one that looked very much like the others. "Velocity. 

"Douglas? This is Mr. McCoy." 

Douglas grinned. "Hey, what's up?" 

"Bad news. Is Logan with you? And the others?" 

Douglas' grin faded, and Kurt leaned forward. "Nein. We left the others at the Temple of Exodus." 

"You found it?" 

"Yes. It was rather difficult, as it was deep inside the mountains, but Kitty found it." 

"Kurt," this was Xavier's voice, "I want you to teleport down there and start collecting the others. You have to get out of there immediately." 

Douglas finally found his voice again. "Why? What's wrong? It's seismically stable, otherwise it wouldn't have survived-" 

Kurt ignored the inquiry and teleported to the cave, expecting to see a glaring Logan there to greet him. Looking around, though, he couldn't spot anyone. "Hello?" Turning around, his eyes finally noticed the three Temple doors, or lack thereof. "Uh oh." He hurried towards the entrances. "Guys, I-" The rest of his sentence was cut off as he ran into some sort of shield. Howling in pain he was thrown back to the entrance of the cave. "Vas..?" Shaking his head, and wincing at the singed fur, he stared at the temple. That's when he realized that the background humming from the crystals was gone, replaced by a fluctuating pulse-like sound, with the crystals illuminating at each interval. _What....I need to get back to the Velocity._ He teleported back to the surface. 

"And so we believe he is a minion of a powerful, and deadly mutant." 

Kurt's head snapped towards the front of the vehicle. It was still Xavier's voice, but the tone was incredibly serious. Along the same lines as the tone he used to announce Magneto was getting a new lackey. "Douglas? We've got problems." 

Douglas glanced back, then hopped up from his seat. "Jesus! What happened? It's like your arms caught fire!" He hurried to seat Jean had left the first aid kit on. 

Ignoring the blasphemy for the moment, Kurt sat in the seat Douglas had just vacated. 

"Kurt, are you alright? What's happened?" 

"I'm fine, Herr McCoy, just a bit singed." He barred his teeth a moment as Douglas probed his arms, but made no other move against the boy. _He's just trying to help._ "I went to get the others and...well...the Temple was open." 

Douglas stopped his ministrations and looked into Kurt's face. "Would you...say that again?" 

"The Temple was open. They must've got impatient-" 

"Or something inside wanted to get out." 

Douglas shook his head, even though McCoy couldn't see the gesture. "No. From the simulations I ran, if there was something in there, the energy flow would prevent them from opening the place up. Someone on the outside must've...brushed against a crystal." 

"This is very bad news. Kurt, Douglas, I want you to stay where you are. I'll gather the remaining X-Men and-" 

"How will you get here if we have both the X-Jet and the Velocity, Professor?" 

Kurt felt a weight hit him in the stomach at Douglas' not so subtle reminder. _He's right. There's no way they can reach us. Not quickly enough. And if there was someone in there...maybe that's why the Acolytes were here, to try and prevent something from escaping._

"Besides, as Kurt pointed out to me earlier, aren't we jumping to conclusions? Maybe they're all fine, just inside the temple where they can't hear us, and the shield activates automatically when the doors are open. What makes you think something's....alive in there?" Douglas wrapped one of Kurt's arms, the one with the most singed fur. 

"Douglas, correct me if I'm wrong, but you said Exodus went from the fourth century, being a God, to the twelfth century. What if this Temple keeps him alive in a form of stasis. And if he is indeed the minion of this other powerful mutant, he will take hostile, possibly even deadly actions." 

Douglas bit his lip. _He has a point, Goddamnit. Could I have somehow found a...fancy stasis chamber that holds the key to Earth's destruction?_ He ran a hand through his hair. _Well, not Earth's, but maybe my friends'? Kitty-_ He choked on that thought, falling back into a nearby seat. "Oh Lord...." _Of all times not to be religious._

"Look, you two stay there, and keep an eye out for any of the others. Knowing Logan he's already got them prepped to make an escape. I'll pilot the Jet by remote autopilot. With luck we'll be there in less than twelve hours." 

Kurt glanced out the window. As McCoy said, the X-Jet powered up and began to take off. "Alright. We'll stay." 

"Contact us if there's any change. Xavier out." 

Douglas looked past Kurt at the receding plane. _Twelve hours....what's the worst that could happen in twelve hours?_

~*()*~ 

Logan's nose twitched, catching the scent of nearby bodies, and let out a soft growl as he forced his eyes open. Whatever had hit him knocked his senses a bit, and it took him a few minutes to focus on the blurry form before him. _Half-pint..._ Groaning, he tried to sit up, but his limbs wouldn't respond immediately. Concentrating, he managed to push himself into a sitting position in time to spot another figure moving. "Red?" 

"I'm alright." Jean, not as disoriented as Logan, sat up and rubbed her temples, willing the headache that had manifested there away. "What about you?" 

"A bit sluggish on the reflexes." His eyes shifted around the room, spotting the other mutants. "Why aren't they awake?" 

Jean sighed and reached over to the nearest mutant, Scott, and touched his forehead. "We were all hit with some sort of psionic blast. My powers let me shield myself somewhat from the attack and repaired the damage." She closed her eyes, trying to look into Scott's mind. "Your healing powers must've helped you recover faster than the others." 

Finally gaining control over his legs, Logan got into a crouching position and eyed the room. There was nothing fancy about it. A typical room made of stone, with one doorway on the opposite side of the room. There wasn't any door, but beyond it was complete darkness. In addition, the door frame was covered with blood-red carvings, made of the same crystals that were outside the temple. _Probably to keep us in._ Still, he headed towards the door. "Any sign of Blonde or Elf?" 

Pulling her hand away and scoot over to reach Kitty and Bobby, she shook her head. "I can't sense them anywhere nearby. It's likely that they haven't come back down yet." 

"Or they can't get in." Logan unsheathed his claws and tried to slash at the air in the door, biting back the pain that traveled down his adamantium and through his body. "We're locked in by that...radiation." 

"Perhaps that's for the best." Jean closed her eyes again, focusing on repairing the younger mutants' minds. "We awoke Exodus, and from what I sensed, Wolverine, we're in a lot of trouble." 

Logan was about to retort when a groan cut him off. Turning his head slightly, he saw Scott sit up and rub his neck. _Good. Maybe when we're all awake we can get outta here._

"Man, what hit us?" 

"Psionic blast. You alright?" 

"I think so." Scott pulled himself to his feet and glanced around. "Douglas and Kurt?" 

"Not here. We're hoping they got wise and stayed put in the Velocity." Logan frowned as the hairs on the back of his neck tingled. _We're being watched._ He scanned the room for any sort of hidden camera, a false panel, anything. _No...he's closer than that._

"That royally sucked." 

"No one, liked, asked for your opinion, Bobby." 

"Quiet you two." Logan backed away from the door. If there was no hidden camera, that meant whoever was watching them was doing it from the darkness outside. "Kitty, can you phase out of here?" 

Kitty blinked at Logan, then pushed her hand against the floor. "No." 

Jean frowned and looked at Scott, worry seeping into her mind. "Scott, can you light up the room outside?" 

"Jean, with this temple there's no guarantee-" 

"Just do it, Cyclops. Now." 

Frowning at Logan, Scott aimed for the doorway and pushed the release on his visor. 

A minute passed, then two, before Bobby spoke up. "SHIT! I can't ice anything either!" Then he clamped a hand over his mouth, giving Logan a wary look. 

"Forget about it, kid. We got bigger problems than your language." Wolverine slid his claws back in and looked at his hands. The holes sealed up, though more slowly than usual. "Whatever's keeping us in here is dampening our powers." 

"How very astute of you to make that observation." 

As a group the band of mutants turned towards the door, trying to spot the new voice. Jean found the eyes they belonged to, and shuddered at the darkness behind them. _Exodus..._

"That's right. I, am Exodus." Light suddenly flooded the outside room, and most of the mutants put their arms up to shield their eyes from the sudden change in ambiance. 

Logan merely squinted, trying to spot an exit in the room. The light, he noted, was blood red, indicating it came from the irradiated crystals. He spotted those crystals first, mainly because they were in two large groups resting atop of two columns. Most of the light emitted came from them, but there was another source originating behind them, from a circle in the wall. He noticed most of the light filtering through came from symbols, symbols he remembered seeing on the pentagram on the wall of the front of the temple. The light gathered together and struck a spherical Cyttorak crystal, which deflected it into two beams that were absorbed by two smaller grouping of crystals, resting at the top corners of a small set of stairs. Two more tiny grouping of crystals were located on either side of the central structure of the room: a throne. 

The throne, like the room, was nothing spectacular. It was what, or more precisely who, was on the throne that worried him. Exodus sat there, smirking at them. His skin was the most noticeable thing about him: it was a crimson shade, almost mimicking the color of the jewels that surrounded him. His skin contrasted greatly with his cobalt eyes, illuminated by a dull yellow glow, and his raven hair, which was pulled back and slightly longer than his neck. His face was currently resting on his hand, which was covered by a blue glove. The gloves were tucked into a velvet armband, and Logan could just make out some runes inscribed on the inside sleeve. 

The rest of his arm, as well as the rest of his body, was covered by a black outfit that Logan suspected was some sort of basic armor. His shins had the same purple coverings as his arms, and a sash of the same color wrapped around his waist. Gold was the other prevalent color on his body. Two golden armbands reflected some of the red light, and where his knees should've been, two gold plates were jutting out with tendrils that seemed to snake down and wind around his lower legs. A gold clasp was on his waist, as well as one on his upper right breast that was clasping, Logan finally noticed, a white cape, tinted red by the surrounding crystals. 

Logan heard Bobby take a step back, and nudged Scott so that he was protecting both him and Kitty, should it come to blows. _Assuming we ever figure out how to get our powers back._

"Oh, you won't get your powers back unless I say so." There was a definite French accent to the voice, deceptively soothing, even. He stood, a few inches taller than Wolverine, and walked over. 

Logan noticed that two gold leaves he had thought were the back of the throne rose with Exodus, and he realized the curving objects were part of his outfit, framing his head. _Definitely a God complex._

"The last time I was placed here, I thought it was for good. Thank you oh so much for freeing me." 

"If you're so thankful, why don't you, like, let us go?" 

Exodus' eyes focused on Kitty, glowing with energy for a moment, before returning to normal. He shook his head. "My dear girl, according to my instruments, hundreds of years have passed." He eyed them. "I need to find out what's going on before I can resume my status as a God." 

Scott snorted. "You're just a mutant." 

Exodus narrowed his eyes and raised his hand. "Do not speak against me." Scott was lifted off the floor and thrown into the opposite wall. "It is by my will alone that you live. Should you prove difficult I will simply kill you and find another mind to interrogate." 

Jean's eyes widened. She hurried over to Scott and examined him for injury, but her thoughts were more focused on what Exodus had said. _He's going to interrogate our minds. But to get to everything, he'll have to-_

"That's right, Ms. Grey. While I acquire my information, you will be killed." Exodus turned and walked back to his throne, his cape billowing slightly. "A small sacrifice, considering you're an inferior being." He turned back around and sat down, eyeing the five prisoners. "But who to start with?" 

Logan glanced back at Scott, then stepped forward, growling. "Me." 

Exodus rubbed his chin, obviously thinking about it. "Very well." His hand rested on a crystal on the right arm of his throne. "Come forth." 

Logan gave Jean a single glance. "Check on the others, all of them, while I'm...keeping him busy. Got it?" 

Jean nodded, catching the unspoken message. 

"How sweet, but since you will all die, it hardly matters." Exodus raised his hand, and a yellow glow enveloped Wolverine, dragging him from the room and throwing him to the floor before the crimson mutant. He touched the crystal once more. "Now," his eyes took on a golden glow, "let's start with what you know of Apocalypse...and move on from there." 

Logan growled and stood to attack the mutant, when he felt something tickle at the back his mind. His eyes widened only moments before he let loose a feral howl. 

~*()*~ 

Kurt sighed and leaned back in his seat. Over two hours had passed since the Professor had contacted them, and he was bored out of his mind. Sure, Douglas had offered him his laptop to play Solitaire on, even though it was in a different language. _Somehow, though, after you win fifteen times, it gets redundant._ Looking over at Douglas, he found himself envying the blond again. _Except for getting up those couple times, he's just sat glued to that computer._ Kurt couldn't do that. He had to be moving, to keep his mind and body busy. Stretching, he walked over to the other side of the Velocity to see what the mutant was working on. 

Douglas glanced up from his work, and offered him a halfhearted grunt in acknowledgment of Kurt's presence. Otherwise, he kept typing and muttering into a microphone, the screens struggling to keep up with his commands. 

"What're you doing?" Kurt's tail wound around the base of Douglas' chair, tugging slightly, but not enough to pull it apart. 

"Well, when the others get here, we'll need some way to stop Exodus. Now, if what I read was correct on those doors, the temple can only be sealed by the inside, and not by telekinesis. In fact, after researching the effects of Cyttorak radiation, I'm willing to bet powers don't really work in there. Or perhaps the fields can be altered to amplify or limit powers, but that's another theory that I need to research-" 

"Douglas. Focus. What're you doing?" 

Douglas took a deep breath. "I'm...trying to find the best way to collapse the temple to get the same sort of sealing that occurred by closing it normally. You see, we know that the crystals embedded in those specific locations of the temple were not just for decoration, but for...altering the radiation to seal something inside. Now, the scripture I read mentioned something about sealing, as well as protecting the innocent. Remember? Well, Exodus was not known as a generous God, or friendly for that matter. So somehow someone was able to...seal him using the crystals' radiation and protect the innocent, or rather, the world from his wrath." He looked up at Kurt. "Does that make sense?" 

Kurt frowned, looking at the screen as it displayed the theoretical ruins for the temple. "But...won't this mean destroying your find?" 

"You weren't really that thrilled with it anyway." 

"Douglas..." 

Douglas sighed and nodded, slumping in his seat. "I know, sorry. In all honesty...what good is an archeological find if I lose my friends, my girlfriend, to some psychopath that might have been unleashed by opening the thing?" 

Kurt nodded. "So..what's the plan?" 

"Well, if I can find some sort of central chamber with multiple crystals, we may be able to set off a chain reaction with the radiation they emit, especially if it's focused into one place." Douglas looked at the computer screen. "But basically some well placed explosives will accomplish the same feat if we plant them at certain structure points correlating with the external crystals." 

"But where are we gonna get explosives?" Kurt looked around. "Other than the New Mutants and Cyclops, and if their powers have been...turned off in there, that's no good." 

"True," Douglas smirked and leaned forward, opening a new window on the screen, "but I've done some inventory checks on what's here. Took me a while to get through Wolverine's codes, but I managed to find some...interesting things. Including this." Douglas highlighted a line and leaned back. 

Kurt squinted, trying to make out some of the words. "C4 mixed with...what is that?" 

"The extended version of TNT. Basically, we have enough explosives to blow the Velocity up about four times over." 

"WHAT?!" Kurt suddenly felt slightly sick, knowing he had flown with explosives on board. 

"I think Wolverine's just a wee bit paranoid. That, and really, the power of the explosives are about as strong as that of the Velocity's weapons systems." Douglas patted the console. "It's not that big a deal." 

"So," Kurt leaned against the wall, crossing his arms, "after Professor X arrives, we're going in, somehow, freeing the others, not getting caught by this maybe alive God, and blowing your find to kingdom come?" 

"Basically, yeah." 

Kurt let out a breath through his nose. "Just a day in the life of an X-Man." Closing his eyes, he rested a moment, before they snapped back open. Someone had touched his mind. Someone had pounded their way past his defenses and grabbed hold of his inner most thoughts. Someone was yelling for his help. 

Someone that sounded a lot like Jean Grey. 

~*()*~ 

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~*()*~ 

Author's Prattle: And here's chapter fourteen! Enjoy? On the edge of your seat? Chapter fifteen is only a hop, skip, and a jump away from being completed. Honestly! Though I do have the Popal Vuh to study...bah, who cares about that. Anywho, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. We're really getting to the climax here, aren't we? Exodus is up and about and torturing our favorite mutants. It won't be long now...oh no, not long at all. 

And for those of you wondering about my future plans for this fic, like...will there be a sequel? Rest assured, there will be! However, it won't end as you expect, this fic OR the sequel. However, I am considering making it a trilogy...in which case, who knows what'll happen. I've also started another fanfic on SG-1, one of my rare humor ones. If you get bored waiting for a chapter, see if I've posted it. 

Alright, enough plugs. On to Disclaimers. I don't own X-Men Evolution, or Exodus. They belong to Marvel. The character of Cipher, I've been told, has his rights up for sale. Currently, he belongs to Marvel, but that may change (if only I had the money). I also don't own the idea of Feng Shui. I do own this plot, however. 

That's it, I think. Until next chapter! 


	16. The Plan

**Cipher's Elegy**

****_By Cypher_

Chapter Fifteen: The Plan 

"Kurt? Kurt!" 

Douglas' voice seemed so far away, and for a minute, he wondered why. _What...what's going on?_

~Kurt!~ 

Kurt winced, recognizing the tone immediately. _Jean? What's going on?_

~I don't have much time, so just listen! Exodus has been awakened and he's using our minds to try and find out what's been happening while he's been in stasis! Logan's unconscious, but I think--AGH--I think he'll survive. Our powers won't really work, and if we don't find some way out soon, we're not going to survive!~ 

_Logan's...down?_ Kurt felt blood drain from his face, even though the action wasn't visible through his fur. _If Logan's down...this is serious. Wait, Jean, how can you contact me?_

~Exodus is going through my mind. Outside of the cell our powers sorta work, so I'm holding him off to get this mess-~   
A scream ripped through Kurt's head, and he fell over, clutching his temples as a new, darker, and definitely masculine voice entered his mind. ~Well, well. It appears I have more guests. Very clever, Ms. Grey, but they won't be protected from me for long. In fact, why don't we have a look at what's in this mind right now.~ 

_Who are- _Kurt's thought was cut off as he felt psychic claws dig into his consciousness. Without meaning to, he screamed. 

Douglas winced and pulled away at Kurt's shrill cry. "I'm just trying to help!" When Kurt had fallen over, Douglas had immediately gotten to his knees to try and help the mutant. Unfortunately, it appeared the blue teen was either suffering from a psychic attack, or some sort of seizure. Since no blood was coming from his mouth, Douglas assumed it was from the former rather than the latter. _But what can I do to help?_ Searching through his memories, he recalled Professor Xavier speaking about psychic shields. Douglas had thought it was mostly just some filler information, since his mutation acted as a shield. _Maybe...maybe I can use my intelligence as a shield for Kurt?_

As Kurt let out another scream, Douglas grabbed his face and steadied his thrashing. "NIGHTCRAWLER! Snap outta it!" 

Then, as quickly as it had begun, Kurt stopped struggling, and seemed to relax, his eyes slowly opening. "Vas...what are you doing?" 

Douglas abruptly let go of him. "What am I doing?! You're the one who collapsed to the floor screaming like a banshee! You owe me new eardrums, by the way!" He sat back and eyed Kurt. "What...happened?" 

"I...Jean. Jean contacted me." 

Douglas frowned. "But why would she hurt you?" 

Kurt hunched over slightly, his tail wrapping around his legs. "It...wasn't Jean. She was being...tortured...by Exodus. And he found out she was contacting me...and he-" He swallowed, remembering the painful sensation that swept through his body at the intrusion. "He attacked me. He's going to kill them all, and kill us." He looked into Douglas' eyes, his own reflecting fear and a touch of panic. "We can't wait, Douglas. They need our help now." 

Douglas bit his lip, unsure of what to do. "Let...let me contact the Professor. At least that way he won't be worried. And you," he hesitated, "you gather the explosives." 

Kurt gave one sharp nod before turning away and heading for the back of the Velocity. 

Getting into the chair he occupied earlier, Douglas began typing in a message, not wanting to communicate directly with Professor Xavier. He had a feeling the telepath would talk both of them out of this rescue plan. _But Kurt...Kurt seemed adamant. The terror in his eyes...he's not lying. He truly fears they'll all be dead._ Setting a time delay for the message, he memorized his plans for collapsing the temple. _Actually, one thing worries me even more. If Exodus was in Kurt's mind...what made him let go so suddenly?_

~*()*~ 

"Gah!" 

Jean felt the yellow aura around her fade and she collapsed to the floor, only having the strength to close her eyes. While Logan had been interrogated, she had attempted to contact Kurt and Douglas. Unfortunately, the cell Exodus kept them in prevented her from using her powers outside of the room. So, against her better judgment, she volunteered to be interrogated next, hoping she could distract the crimson man long enough to send out a warning. 

It had worked beautifully, until Exodus punched through her defenses and used her link to rape Kurt's mind as well. _Kurt...I'm so sorry._ She heard a growl, and forced her eyes open, focusing on Exodus clutching his head. Logan had survived his ordeal only because his memory was so long, and Exodus had grown bored of searching after World War Two memories surfaced. He promised to go back to the feral mutant, but was ready for someone younger. She knew it was her duty to protect Kitty and Bobby, which was the other reason she had volunteered to be next. 

_So...why am I alive? For that matter, why...why did he disconnect from Kurt and me? If...if I didn't know any better, I'd say he got some sort of...feedback._

"Damn that third mind." Exodus glared at Jean, his eyes burning bright yellow as energy gathered for another assault. "You'll pay for that." 

_Third mind?_ It took Jean a few minutes to realize he meant Douglas. _He...must've tried to help Kurt, and Exodus picked up on it and,_ despite her predicament, she felt herself smirk slightly, _and his mind was too confusing for him to stay linked to, and caused him to retreat._

Yellow energy once more enveloped Jean and Logan, and with a wave of his hand, Exodus had flung them back into the cell. "I will continue...later." He rubbed his forehead, obviously still smarting from his encounter with the complex mind of Douglas Ramsey. "And next time, you won't contact your friends." Waving a hand over the crystals, the room outside the cell went dark once more, leaving the captured mutants alone. 

Bobby, bit his lip, glancing at Kitty, who was sitting by Scott's head. The elder mutant was still recovering from being flung against the wall, and Kitty hadn't left his side. _I guess it's up to me to protect them now._ He had figured out that while their powers were dampened, they weren't completely shut off. Lowering the temperature of his hand, he rested it against Jean's forehead. It elicited a small moan from the red head, but otherwise she remained still, unconscious. _Okay Bobby. Just...keep your cool. So the X-Men were taken out easily._ He looked over at Logan, the toughest man he knew, and audibly swallowed. _Doesn't mean you can't ice him...or something._

"Like, what do you think happened? Why did he stop?" Kitty brushed her fingers through Scott's hair. She no longer had a crush on him, but in many ways he was an older brother, and she did care deeply for him. 

"I don't know. Maybe Jean was able to attack his mind or something." He pulled his hand away from Jean's head, giving up on trying to revive her any time soon. "I think we should just pray it's enough time for Doug and Kurt to figure out some way to get us out of here." 

"No, they won't rescue us." Kitty sighed and sat back against the wall. "Douglas knows his limits. A battle like this...it'd be suicide for him. And Kurt, well, he can't use his teleportation in here." 

"So we're just supposed to sit here and die?" 

"No. By now they probably know something's up and have contacted the Professor. Who knows, maybe Magneto will feel sorry and save us." 

Bobby snorted and looked at the door, wondering if he could somehow force his way past the radiation shield. "Unless Exodus decides to leave us alone for a day, there's not going to be anyone left to be rescued." 

Kitty twirled the end of her pony tail around her finger, knowing Bobby was telling the truth. "We can't just give up, though." 

"Hey, I haven't. You're the one saying the room mates on the surface can't rescue us." Bobby looked at her. "Maybe you should give your boyfriend more credit, huh? He is a genius. Maybe he can find some way outta this." 

"Maybe...but he can't stand up to Exodus." 

"This is Doug we're talking about, Kitty." Bobby knelt by the doorway and ran his hand over the barrier. "His mind's too complex for telepaths to affect." 

"This guy was a God, Bobby." 

"He was worshiped as a God, but he's a mutant. And we have one main advantage over him." 

"What?" 

"We're from this time. Things have changed since he was locked away. We're modern heroes going against an old mummy." Bobby grinned and rubbed his hands together. "If we put our minds to it, we can kick his ass and get the hell outta here. Now get over here." 

Sighing once more, Kitty got up and headed to the door, kneeling by Bobby. "Alright, what do you want to try?" 

"We still have partial powers. He can't take them away totally. You try to phase the shield. If we get it open enough, maybe I can shatter a few of those crystal clusters and break whatever's forming this field." 

Looking over the fallen mutants, she put a determined look on her face and nodded, pushing her palms against the shield. _Douglas, I do want you to save us, but please, don't come down here._

~*()*~ 

Douglas ran his hand over the field surrounding the temple, watching as the surface rippled at his touch. _The external crystals are forming the field, but it's not a natural change due to the energy flow. Something is directing the energy and reinforcing it. Natural radiation shouldn't be this tough to penetrate._ _Unless..._ "Hey Kurt, what does Cyttorak radiation do to normal humans?" 

Kurt was resting by the entrance to the cavern. The mental attack had drained his natural energy, and teleporting the two of them and the explosives had taken the wind out of him. Pushing his hair back, he shrugged. "I have no clue. Herr McCoy theorized that it's harmless to humans. Magneto proved it affected mutants, but we don't know if he tested it on anyone without the X-gene." 

_So maybe the radiation is able to push us away because of the X-gene. It's somehow attuned solely to mutant DNA and can alter the physiological properties of the mutation. Kurt said Jean's powers were blocked. But Scott had his enhanced._ Douglas rubbed his chin, making a mental note to do some research on Cyttorak crystals back at the Institute. _So the radiation can be directed to do specific things. _Rubbing the shield once more, he knelt and picked up a rock. 

Kurt raised an eyebrow at him. "What're you doing?" 

Douglas stepped back from the shield. "Just testing a theory." He threw the rock at the shield. It passed through harmlessly and landed on the ground, rising a bit of dust. "So the explosives won't be a problem. But us, on the other hand..." 

Kurt stood and grabbed his own rock, staring at it. _The rock passed through because...what? It wasn't alive? Or maybe the shield only blocks against biological things passing through. But if I teleport, I enter another dimension, and so I wouldn't be passing through, right?_ Smirking slightly, he walked over to Douglas and rested a hand on his shoulder. "Hang on." 

"What do yo-" Douglas' question was cut off as the two teens vanished in a puff of smoke, only to appear seconds later under the overhang of the temple. "-u mean?" Douglas blinked and glanced around. "Oh. Good thinking." 

Kurt leaned against a temple column, panting a bit. "Ja, well...it seemed like a good idea. Mind if we rest a bit?" 

Douglas nodded and peered into the open doors, trying to pick out any forms in the semi-darkness. _Main chamber. Two on support beams should be enough. _"Alright, we should work on our plan." 

"There's a plan?" 

"Eh, I'm making it up as I go along." 

_Oh, that's reassuring._ Pulling himself up, though his tail dragged on the floor, Kurt walked over and looked in as well. "Alright, you find Kitty and the others. I'll plant the explosives." 

Douglas shook his head. "Let's not split up just yet. We don't even know if your powers will work in here." 

"And yours will?" 

"Well, my theory is that our passive powers will work." Douglas took a tentative step into the building. 

"Passive powers?" Kurt followed him, making sure he was no more than a foot behind the blond. 

"My mutation is completely passive. Your agility, dexterity, ability to blend into the dark," Douglas looked around, his brow furrowed until Kurt touched his shoulder and he nodded, "thanks. Those are passive. Your teleportation isn't, though." 

"I think I get it." He saw Douglas kneel down and realized he was planting some of the explosive. "Why there?" 

"There's a support column here. Blow this and part of the building's integrity will fail." He glanced up at the German. "We have to plant these to not only destroy the temple, but to also make the Feng Shui of the ruins similar to how it was when sealed." Finishing, he stepped back and looked around the dim room once more. "It's a shame, though." 

Kurt squeezed his shoulder. "We have to destroy it. We can't let Exodus out." 

"I know. I just wish..." He hung his head. "Nevermind. Logan would want us to use what abilities we do have to our fullest. If Exodus is telepathic, he probably can't read my mind. So I'll plant the explosives. You use your blending ability to sneak around in the shadows and find the others." 

Kurt bit his lip. Something didn't feel right about that plan. "But, if Exodus is telepathic-" 

"Something in your mind caused him to leave. Let's hope whatever it was keeps him out. Besides, if he can't see you, he can't nail you, right?" 

"Maybe..." Kurt's tail coiled around his ankle. He didn't like this. "Maybe we should stick together. I mean, the X-Men never split up pairs." 

"We don't have time, Kurt. Just...trust me. We'll be fine. I'll meet you outside the temple after I plant the bombs and...distract Exodus." 

"What?!" Kurt grabbed Douglas' shoulders and shook him. "Are you insane?!" 

Douglas rested his hands on Kurt's wrists. "Kurt, I'll be fine. I have the impenetrable mind, remember? I'll let him try to get in, land one on his chin, and vamoose before he knows what's happened." He pushed Kurt's hands away. "Besides, for all we know Exodus is sleeping and we'll never meet him. I'll only distract him if he's awake and is trying to capture you and the others again." 

Kurt frowned. He did not like this plan, not one bit. "Douglas..." 

"Kurt, please. Our main concern is freeing Kitty and the others. You get them out, and don't worry about me. You have to take care of Kitty for me. Please." 

Kurt looked into Douglas' eyes, seeing the worry and pain there, as well as something he couldn't identify. _Right...Kitty. He's only worried about Kitty. And he's right. His mind will protect him._ A small part of Kurt's own mind berated him, telling him that was a lie and he knew it. He simply ignored it. _We have to get the others out of here. If he can disable whatever's blocking my teleportation, that will be invaluable._ "Alright." 

"And you'll take care of Kitty for me, right? You promise?" 

That nagging in the back of Kurt's mind returned as he heard Douglas' tone. Something about it was off. Instead of saying anything about it, though, he simply nodded. "I promise, Douglas." 

Satisfied, Douglas relieved Kurt of his explosives and headed off into the darkness. Kurt spotted a glow stick a few minutes later, and realized Douglas was gone, searching for places to plant the C4. _Alright, time to hold up my part of the plan._ Looking around, he noticed that the ceilings seemed bathed in shadows. Finding the nearest wall, he climbed up, pushing the voice of doom he heard to the back of his mind. 

~*()*~ 

Cyclops wasn't sure what had happened. He remembered being thrown into the wall, and being unconscious, but when he woke up, he wasn't sure if he was still dreaming, or if the nightmare he was seeing was real. He had woken up to see Bobby and Kitty kneeling by the door, pushing against the shield. Jean and Logan were unconscious around them, but appeared unharmed for the most part. A blink later, though, he saw Exodus on the other side of the door. He tried to yell out a warning, to scream for the two young mutants to get away. But he couldn't, his throat was too dry. 

Now Bobby was outside the field, struggling for breath as Exodus choked him with his hand, his eyes glowing. Kitty had been flung back, but she was now pounding at the shield, trying to phase through, trying to save to save Bobby. He swallowed a few times, and finally found his voice. "Stop." Exodus glanced at him, his eyes still glowing. Scott wasn't sure what that meant, but Bobby was clawing at Exodus' arm, gasping. "Stop." 

Exodus sneered, but did as Scott asked, dropping Bobby unceremoniously to the ground. The young man immediately curled up and took in deep breaths of air. Scott felt better knowing he had managed to save Bobby for now. His relief was short lived, however, as he felt his body lift from the ground and get pulled through the doorway. _Oh shit._

"You wish to take is place? So be it." Exodus clasped Scott's neck and held him still. Scott tried to control his breathing, tried not to think about how his life was going to end. It took him a minute to realize Exodus wasn't squeezing. In fact, he seemed to have a...puzzled look on his face. _What's...what's going on?_

Bobby, having caught his breath, took advantage of the Exodus' distraction and, taking a page out of Spyke's book, launched icicles at the Cyttorak clusters. Most of the ice formations shattered on contact, but one set managed to destroy the balance one set of crystals were on and knocked the cluster over. They didn't shatter when they fell, but Scott could feel something behind his eyes, something he now realized was missing. He reached up to release his visor, but didn't get the chance as Exodus shoved him back into the cell. 

Smiling at Kitty as she helped him get up from the forced tumble, he looked out the door. Exodus had snapped out of his daze and was glaring at Bobby, who had gotten to his feet, though one hand was feeling his throat. He hadn't managed to ice up, but Scott suspected that was due to Bobby's near-death experience rather than some control from the crystals. "What's he doing?" 

"With luck, like, breaking us out of here." Kitty had pressed her hand against the wall the instant the crystals had fallen. Unfortunately, her phasing was still down, but obviously outside of the cell, the powers were working full force again. "You can do it Bobby! Shoot another round!" 

Bobby nodded, but failed to form any more ice structures. In fact, he seemed to be in a staring contest with Exodus. _Something's not right._ Scott's fears were confirmed when Iceman slumped to the floor. Panic ran through Scott's body briefly, before noticing that his chest was still moving. _He's alive...thank God._

"He is only alive because I have not thoroughly probed his mind." Exodus glared at Scott as Bobby was thrown back into the cell by some telekinetic force. "At least one of your friends has dared to violate the sanctity of my temple. I merely needed to find out what I was up against. Now that I know, hunting him down will be simple." He glanced at Jean. "Especially since I've touched his mind before." Turning around, Exodus' white cape flared behind his gold leaves before he disappeared into a doorway off to the side. 

Kitty looked at the crystals on the ground. "Why didn't he, like, put those back?" 

"Maybe he can't. Or maybe he's afraid of what Nightcrawler can do." Rubbing his own neck, Scott stepped away from Kitty and knelt by Bobby. The young brunette was curled in a fetal position, breathing evenly, but the red welts on his neck spoke of just how close he had come to never breathing again. _Great job, Bobby. When we get back I promise, I'll talk to Professor X about making you an X-Man. Or at least the leader of the New Mutants._ He looked over at Jean. He wished she were awake. He had a feeling she could explain what had happened after he had passed out better than Kitty. 

"Mr. Logan!" 

At Kitty's cry, Scott's head snapped towards the feral mutant, and he smiled a little as the Wolverine shook his head, grabbing his forehead. 

"Not so loud, Half-pint." Sitting up, Logan's gaze first rested on Scott, nodding just slightly, then on Bobby. He growled as he spotted the neck. "That bastard. When I get my hands on him-" He suddenly went straight backed, and his eyes narrowed. "Those IDIOTS!" 

Scott had a feeling he wasn't talking about anyone in this room. "What is it?" 

"They're here! The ventilation is thin, but their scent is in the air! Those two idiots came down here!" 

Kitty felt an uneasy feeling grow within her stomach. "Who, Mr. Logan?" 

"Cipher and Nightcrawler!" 

Kitty closed her eyes, hearing Scott groan and trying to bite back her own. _Douglas...fuzzy elf...I hope you know what you've gotten yourselves into._

~*()*~ 

Douglas wiped his forehead and climbed out from behind the pillar. _There, that's the last of them And it only took twenty minutes._ It had taken him nearly ten minutes to get a feel for the floor plan of the temple, as well calculate where the C4 would have to be placed for the best results. _Fortunately, it can be blown from the first floor alone._ He was very thankful for that. It was still dark downstairs, and he hadn't heard anyone thus far, which meant neither Exodus nor his friends were there. It also meant they were probably up the flight of stairs he had spotted. _I hope Kurt's finding his way okay._

Standing by a tapestry, he held up his glow stick and ran his other hand over its surface. Somehow the fabric had been preserved perfectly, and he could roughly make out the story they told: Exodus' rise to power in Egypt. _Apocalypse again. I don't get what the end of the world has to do with him._ He sighed and pulled his hand back. _Not now, Douglas. You've got to help save your friends._

He still didn't like that they were going to blow this place up, but he had designed the plan, and if Exodus was as bad as Kurt said, it had to be done. So as he went through the Temple planting the explosives, he had memorized as much as he could, planning to copy it down as soon as he had the chance. _The find may be lost for eternity, but I can preserve at least parts of it. _Entering an antechamber, he paused. He remembered passing through this room before, but he didn't recall the descending staircase that was before him. _That was a wall a few minutes ago, wasn't it?_

Really hoping Nightcrawler wasn't down there, he reached behind his back and pulled out a gun. He had managed to hide it under the explosive he carried. He figured Kurt would argue not to use such lethal methods, but unlike the others, he'd read of Exodus' deeds. Yes, he was protected from telepathy, but if Exodus could lift a small palace and hurl it into the Mediterranean, Douglas figured he wouldn't stand a chance without some form of protection. 

So, he had located a gun on board the Velocity. It wasn't an average one, rather it was an experimental weapon McCoy and Xavier had worked on. Instead of bullets it fired some sort of electromagnetic burst. It was designed to disarm Magneto temporarily, but the notes he read indicated if it was used against a mutant or human, it would fry the neural synapses beyond repair. The word 'experimental' was not lost on him, however. He knew if he fired the thing it was just as likely to short out and fry his brain, or worse, do nothing. _Still, it's the only advantage I have._

Activating the weapon, he cautiously headed down the stairs, keeping his eyes open for anything or anyone. _Good so far._ Stepping off the bottom stair, he looked around the room. _What the hell?!_ The room wasn't well lit, but there were faint auras coming from crystal clusters. That wasn't what caught his attention, though. Around the room there appeared to be a number of computer terminals, only they were incorporated into the structure, and looked like no computer system he had ever encounter. Curiosity burned inside him, and he took a step forward. 

_NO!_ Douglas shook his head and stepped back. _Just...just add it to the mysteries that this place holds! You...you have to find Kurt. Kitty. You have to get out of here before it's too late!_ Gazing at the room another moment, he turned and stepped onto the staircase. 

And found himself staring at a crimson face. 

~*()*~ 

~*()*~ 

~*()*~ 

Author's Prattle: Muwahahaha! The plot thickens. Just two more chapters to go, now! Will Kurt find the others? Will Exodus be sealed? What will happen to our protagonist? Find out next time in chapter sixteen: The Price. 

Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men: Evolution; or Exodus or Cipher. They're all owned by Marvel. I do own the plot, though. That's it. This is just a creative exercise for me for others to enjoy! 

That's about it this chapter. No notes, no explanations, I'm just going full steam ahead. Chapter sixteen should be out in a couple days, followed by the final chapter. It really depends on how far I get with my human sexuality project. And do not fear! I have many plans for fics in the Evo verse. Many, many plans. As always, reviews are welcome, and enjoy! 


	17. The Price

**Cipher's Elegy**

_By Cypher_

__Chapter Sixteen: The Price 

Kurt crushed himself against the nook in the ceiling, praying silently that the figure walking beneath him was either Douglas, or some ghost. Whoever it was, though, seemed to be in a hurry, for they never slowed their pace. Letting out a slow breath, he swung down and landed on the ground, instantly hiding in the shadows. _If it was Exodus, why didn't he sense me?_ A minute later his worry grew. _Or...maybe he did sense me, and he just doesn't care because he knows I can't do anything--no! Don't think like that._ Glancing both ways, he quickly walked down the hall, away from the direction of the footsteps. 

It hadn't taken Kurt long to figure out Douglas was planting the explosives on the first floor of the temple. Since he figured doing that would involve searching, he decided to go up the stairs and explore the second level. As he reached the top of the stairs, he had found some light emanating from crystals. He knew then that his friends were somewhere up there. The big question was where. Every room had two more doorways, and it seemed the further he explored, the further he got lost. Finally, one door led out into the main hall, and he decided to follow that until it ended. _After that, if I still can't find them, I'll search the maze of rooms._

It had been nearly thirty minutes since he had set out, and just a few minutes since the figure had passed down the hall. _Come on, Douglas...finish up and join me!_ Not that the temple was getting to him, oh no. At least, he'd never admit out loud that his fur was standing on end beneath his uniform and all he wanted to do was run out of the damned building and hide in the Velocity. Something about this temple, and specifically the floor he was on, gave off a feeling of death, despair, even torture. _Or maybe I'm just channeling what I felt Jean go through._ He shuddered. What had happened in his mind would haunt his dreams for weeks, if not months. 

"Cipher and Nightcrawler!" 

Kurt's head snapped up at that. _That was Herr Logan!_ Glancing around once more to make sure he was alone, he started running on all fours, doubling his time towards the voice. _I'm coming! Just...just hang on!_ Turning a corner so fast he nearly slammed into the wall, he found himself face to face with what could only be described as a throne room. It took his eyes a minute to adjust to the darkened atmosphere, but when they did his sight immediately locked on the doorway on the other side of the room. And the form lying curled up on the floor. "Bobby!" 

Scott's head snapped up at Kurt's voice, but Kurt couldn't tell if the team leader was happy or not to see him. "What the hell are you doing here?!" 

Logan was even more direct. "Elf, it's dangerous!" 

"Well, ja. That's why I'm here." He padded over to the door and look it over. "What's keeping you in?" 

"Kurt, get out of here before you end up-" Scott glanced at the body laying in front of him. "Just get outta here!" 

"Not without you." 

Kitty moved in front of Scott, touching the shield. "There's, like, some sort of force field. He can control it from his chair. See if you can figure it out." 

Kurt nodded and hoped over to the stone furniture, eyeing the crystals on the armrests. "Uh...Kitty? What exactly...do I do?" 

Kitty bit her lip. "Er..." 

~*()*~ 

Douglas wasn't sure what he was looking at, only that whatever it was seemed surprised and angry. Knowing he couldn't get around the imposing figure, he did the only sensible thing he could, he ran back into the computer room, half kneeling by a control panel. Checking the gun again, he glanced across the room, staring at the red-skinned man. _Is...this Exodus?_ _Well, they got his hair the right color, and he sure as hell is large. But what is with his skin tone?_

"I...cannot sense you." Exodus let out a growl, his eyes narrowing. "You. You were the mind I touched earlier. You caused me to recoil." 

_Recoil?_ It took Douglas a minute to recall Kurt's screaming form, and how he had calmed down only moments after holding him. _He must've...tried to touch my mind._ He smirked. _So he's got the same faults as other telepaths._ "Yeah, well," he aimed the gun at Exodus, "I've also got something here that can kill you. So don't try anything." 

Exodus crossed his arms. "Bullets cannot harm me, mortal." 

"Oh, I know. I've been studying you for a long time." Douglas slowly stood, keeping his aim on the demigod. "This is designed specifically for your kind. It's energy based, like the Cyttorak crystals." _Okay, so it's a lie, but he doesn't know that._

Exodus merely studied him, not at all fazed by the allegation. "Then fire now. This is your only chance before I kill you." 

Douglas' will faltered. _Just...kill him?_ He licked his lips, his finger on the trigger. _I have to. He was torturing Jean, he tried to kill Kurt. I just have to..._ He felt sweat trailing down the back of his neck. He did not want to kill. It went against his entire pacifist nature. _Just...do it!_ Shutting his eyes, he pulled the trigger. A minute later, without hearing a scream from Exodus, or even the sound of a discharge, he opened first one eye, then the other. He swallowed when he saw Exodus smirking at him, unhurt. Glancing at the gun, he realized why it was still experimental: it didn't even fire. _Oh shit...oh crap...Satan, if you want to make a deal, now's when you should show up!_

Exodus flicked his hand and the gun went flying from Douglas' grip, landing in the far corner of the room. "Now, young one. I'm afraid it's time to eliminate you." 

Squashing his fear momentarily, Douglas surged forward and swung around, landing his foot against Exodus' temple. The mutant stumbled to the side, open for another hit. Douglas didn't take it, though. _Run run RUN!_ His goal wasn't to injure Exodus. He knew no matter how many blows he landed, the creature before him would find some way to survive. His goal was to knock him out of his path to the stairwell. _If I can get to Kurt he can get us the hell outta here! _He wondered, briefly, why the Professor never really invested in communicators for the New Mutants. 

Exodus recovered from the kick and sent a psychic shock towards the retreating mutant. When the energy from his eyes didn't even slow the blond down, Exodus raised his hand, and a yellow glow surrounded the teen's body. _Got you._ He flung the boy back into the room, slamming him into a console. "That was very brave. Foolish, but brave." Walking forward, he grabbed Douglas' neck and lifted him off the ground. 

Douglas struggled, kicking the demigod in the chest, but to no avail. His mind whirled, trying to buy some time for the others. "I...you...you want to know what's happened since you fell asleep, right?!" 

Exodus blinked, surprised by the panicked question. "Perhaps." 

Douglas panted, trying to calm his heart. "I...I'm the most intelligent mutant in the world. I've studied history, and you, all my life. You...you could learn everything from me." 

Exodus' eyes glowed yellow as he ran a quick scan, trying to determine if the young man was lying. "I can't scan you." He squeezed the blond's neck. "You are lying." 

Douglas choked and scratched at the arm. "I'm not! My mind...a telepath put barriers there to protect me! You...you just have to push through them! And...and I can offer you more than history!" 

Exodus' grip loosened slightly. "Go on." 

"There's...there's been a lot of advance in sciences, technology. I...I know all of that too. Everything...everything you could want is in my head." Douglas closed his eyes, forcing the tears forming away. _I have to give the others time. Pray that Kurt finds me and teleports me out before it's too late._ "Once you get past the barriers, you'll have everything you need." 

Exodus stared at the youth, debating what to do. On the one hand, he suspected the child was lying, trying to prolong his life, perhaps for some sort of rescue from the mind he had sensed entering his temple. On the other hand, however, he could be telling the complete truth. _But why reveal it. _"Why tell me, mortal. You will die no matter what." 

"If...if you have everything you need...there's a chance you'll leave the others unharmed." 

Exodus' lip curled up. "Self-sacrifice. Disgusting." He threw Douglas to the floor, his eyes glowing brightly. "I will plunder your mind for what I desire. For your willingness, though, I will make the deaths of the others swift and painless." 

Douglas closed his eyes, trying to fight the hyperventilation he felt creeping into his lungs. _Please, Kurt, get the others out. Please don't forget me. Please...save me before it's too late._

~*()*~ 

Much to Scott's relief, Jean had awakened shortly after Kurt's arrival, and was trying to explain how she saw Exodus lower the force field to him, though they were still having some difficulty. _Just...hurry it up._ He didn't know when Exodus was marked to return, but when the self-proclaimed God did come back, he knew they'd better be gone. He glanced at Logan, who was checking Bobby over to make sure it was only his neck that was injured. _He was lucky._

"Can you carry him?" 

Scott nodded and carefully tossed Bobby over his shoulder, standing. "I don't know how far we'll get." 

"Our powers work outside this room. With luck I can hold him off long enough for you to escape." 

Scott shook his head. "We'll hold him off. You may need back up." 

"Your job is to protect the students-" 

"And X-Men don't get left behind. No matter what." Scott stared at Logan, trying to stare him down. "If we have to deal with Exodus, we do it as a team." 

Logan snarled, but turned away and glared at the door. "How's it coming, Red." 

"I think we've got it." _By process of elimination, but he doesn't need to know that._

Nodding, Logan glanced around outside, trying to spot Exodus, or at least give Kurt a heads up if he appeared. 

"Mr. Logan?" 

"What, Half-pint." 

"Where's Douglas?" 

Logan frowned, looking in the shadows of the room, trying to find the blond mutant. His eyes finally met with Nightcrawler's, and by the quick way the fuzzy mutant ducked his gaze, he had a feeling Kurt knew where he was, and he wouldn't like it. "He's probably keeping the front door open." 

Kitty bit her lip. _He doesn't know either._ It wasn't until Jean woke up and took over directing Kurt on what to do that she had finally realized her boyfriend wasn't there. _What could he be doing, though? He wouldn't let Kurt come alone. He knows he's useless in a battle like this, but he wouldn't abandon his friends, would he?_ She watched as Kurt tried stroking a crystal. _Maybe...maybe Kurt had to drug him in order to find his way down here. Douglas didn't want to risk his life, either._ She hoped that was true, that Douglas was sleeping off some drug in the Velocity, but the lead in her gut told her it was false hope. 

That was when the first dull roar reached their ears. Jean glanced at Kurt as the building shook slightly, and she could've sworn that if he hadn't had fur, he had turned pale. "What was that?" 

"I guess Douglas set the explosives on automatic timer." 

"Explosives?! Elf!" 

Kurt ignored Logan. "Okay, I got it!" He slammed his hand on the crystal. 

Jean lost her balance as the shield vanished, but she quickly regained it and ran out of the room, followed by the rest of the prisoners. A second later, another rumble shook the temple, and all eyes turned to Kurt. 

Kurt shrugged sheepishly. "It was the only way we could seal in Exodus without leaving someone behind." 

"We'll deal with it later!" Logan let out a growl and ran for the hallway. "Everyone out!" He noticed Kurt frowning. "You too! I'll go back and get him when you're safe!" 

Kurt hesitated, then nodded and ran with the others. He was still recovering from his ordeal, and teleporting around the temple was not going to be easy. He'd need Logan's nose to find his room mate. _Douglas, please be waiting for us at the door._

~*()*~ 

Douglas panted, staring at Exodus' face. He would've bolted if he could've, but Exodus was exerting some telekinetic force to keep him pinned to the floor. _At least I'm keeping his mind busy. _He could tell by the contortions in the demigod's face that he was having trouble breaking through the incompatibility. He could also tell by the headache and black spots starting to appear that he was succeeding in breaking through the problem. _Guess I was too good at convincing him._

He felt the first tremor of an explosion ripple behind him. Half of him feared Exodus would halt and find out what happened, discovering the others escaping. Half of him begged for Exodus to notice, to end the mental onslaught and give his mind a chance to heal, even a little. When Exodus didn't stop, though, he knew that his enemy hadn't noticed. _So do I thank God or damn him._ He winced, feeling a prick of pain hit his mind. _I'm breaking...no! Not yet. I can't! Not until...not until I know they're safe!_

_What about your safety?_

Something warm and wet slid over his lips and dripped onto his chin, a feeling he had felt not too long ago. _He's nearly beat the incompatibility. _More blood dripped out of his nose, and he wondered what else would happen as Exodus probed further. _Unless Kurt finds me soon...I'll be gone anyway._

Searing pain surged through his body, and without realizing it a tormented scream was torn from his throat. When he got control of himself again, tears were rolling down his face. His entire body felt lax, and he could barely focus on the form above him. He was able to make out a smirk, though. _Oh God. He's in. I've...I didn't know you could feel so...so vulnerable. _Breathing seemed even harder, as if a weight was on his chest. On his peripheral conscious he felt another reverberation of an explosive, and he suddenly realized how his open mind could harm the others. Pulling his thoughts together, he threw all the knowledge he could forward, hiding his plan, his knowledge of his friends, in a dark corner of his mind. 

"You were a fool to offer your own mind." 

Douglas wished he had a scathing remark to retort with, but it was taking all his energy to keep Exodus from discovering the truth. _Just...hold on. Kurt will have gotten them...out...bombs...will end this._ His eyes fell half shut. _Kitty..._

An explosion rocked the room once more, this one close enough that Exodus took notice. While he didn't end his mental probing, he did pull back slightly and looked around. His eyes widened as he realized the shaking wasn't stopping, and the ceiling was starting to crack. "No...this is impossible! No earthquake could destroy this temple!" A word from his hostage floated into his mind, and he frowned. "Bomb." He knew the word, he had heard it before he went into stasis. _But what does it mean._ It took only a nanosecond to search through the blond's mind, and he stumbled back. "You idiot!" 

Douglas closed his eyes. 

"You will die as well!" 

"I was...going to die...anyways." 

Exodus growled and looked at the stairwell. The ceiling had already caved in there, but he knew he could move it. Releasing his psychic grip, he focused all his energies on throwing the stones aside. 

Only to have nothing happen. 

He stared, disbelieving, until he felt a familiar tingle crawl across his skin, a tingle from a specific type of radiation. "No...no, I won't go back! You can't seal me again!" Turning, he unleashed a full psionic blast into Douglas' mind. "Tell me how to escape!" 

Douglas' body jerked at the attack, but he made no other sounds. Instead, the information he had tried to hide burst forth, revealing his plan, what was happening, everything. 

"No. No!" Exodus pounded his fist against the wall, feeling the rock crumble beneath it. Gritting his teeth, he glared back at the teen. "At least you won't be saved. Die, you miserable, pathetic mortal. I await you in the abyss." 

_Kitty...I love you...I'm so sorry...goodbye._

~*()*~ 

"Move! Move! Move!" 

Scott ran out the door and towards the entrance of the cave before dropping Bobby and shielding the young man's body. Jean was next to him in an instant, creating a shield to help protect them. 

Kitty ran out the door and paused, looking back at the collapsing structure. "Kurt! What if he's still-" 

"Move it, Kaetzchen!" Kurt didn't pause in his running. He merely grabbed onto Kitty's wrist and dragged her into the shield Jean had constructed. 

"Logan!" With one final shudder the Temple collapsed in on itself, and Scott worried that Logan hadn't made it out. When the dust settled, however, he spotted the feral mutant lying on the ground just beyond the temple entrance, coughing. "That was a close one." 

Kitty pulled her hand out of Kurt's grip and looked around, hoping Douglas was nearby. No one stepped forward, however, from either the temple or the entrance to the cave. "Douglas!" She stood up and walked towards the temple. "Douglas, this isn't funny!" Logan shook his head, getting his bearings, and Kitty walked right past him. "Don't you dare give me a scare like you did before! Douglas!" She felt her chest tighten as she reached the edge of the now fallen temple. "DOUGLAS!" 

Kurt felt his own ache, and quickly went over to the ruins, running over them to see if his friend had found some form of protection, or was near the surface. Something, anything. They were desperate. "Douglas? Come on, roomie, this isn't the time to play pranks!" He dug into some of the fallen crystals, only to come up with nothing but more stone. 

Kitty pushed her hand on the ruins, then pushed both, before letting out a yell and punching at them. "Let me through! Let me search for him you damned rock!" 

Kurt sat back on his haunches, staring at her. _My Gott. He...he couldn't be dead. He wouldn't! _

"Woah, there, Half-pint." Logan grabbed Kitty's wrists, trying to prevent her from hurting herself. 

"Let go!" She kicked him away and phased out of his grip, pounding the rock again. 

Scott looked down, closing his eyes. _It's like before. We can't use our powers to get in. Only now...it's more permanent._ "Jean, can you-" 

"You know I can't sense him, Scott." 

Scott glanced at her, hearing the hitch in her voice. "But you can sense Kitty." 

A single tear slid down Jean's cheek, and she nodded. 

"Damn you!" Kitty fell to her knees, her knuckles bleeding from punching the rock. "Damn you..." She knew she was crying, and she didn't care. 

Kurt dropped down beside her, touching her shoulder. "Kitty, I-" 

"YOU!" She threw a punch at him, and he reeled back, hitting the collapsed structure. "You should have set the damn bombs! You shouldn't have let him out of your sight! You shouldn't have allowed him to come down here you son of a-" 

"I'm sorry," Kurt said softly. 

"Sorry?! You're sorry?! You're not sorry! You WANTED him gone!" 

Kurt winced at the accusation. "Nein, I didn't. We worked it out. I didn't want to split up, but..." He hung his head, waiting for the next blow to land. None came, and he risked a glance up. Tears were streaking her face, and her fist was raised, but she wasn't moving. "I'm sorry. I...I didn't want him to die." That was the wrong thing to say, as Kitty hit him again. 

"He's not dead! He's...he's just trapped! We just have to dig him out! We-" 

Logan put his hand on Kitty's shoulder, holding her back from striking Kurt again. "Half-pint..." 

"Mr. Logan." She sniffed, lowering her arms. "He's not...not...is he?" 

Logan hated this. It just wasn't fair, but he couldn't smell Douglas anywhere, not even his blood. "I'm sorry, but there was no way he could've survived that." 

"No..." Kitty closed her eyes. "No, no, please, God no." The tears came back full force. She'd never see his smile, never feel his arms around her, never kiss him, ever again. "This isn't fair..." 

Kurt sat up, feeling his jaw and wincing. He felt someone watching him and looked towards Logan. The elder mutant was glaring at him, and he quickly looked away. He knew Logan didn't blame him for Douglas' death, he was just angry in general. _Doesn't mean I don't blame myself._ He felt an arm brush his shoulder and glanced up. Jean was offering him a hand, to leave Kitty to grieve. Sighing, he took it and wandered over to Scott and sat against a nearby wall, staring at the dirt. 

Somewhat awkwardly, Logan lowered himself to the ground and rubbed Kitty's back. In return the brunette buried her face into his chest and sobbed, clinging to him as if her life depended on it. 

"Will...she be okay?" 

Jean nodded slowly. "Yes. Eventually." She glanced at Kurt, who she knew would be in as great a depression as Kitty for a while, then at Logan. _As soon as we're topside he's going to leave and tear up something._ She had a feeling that in some ways, Douglas' death would hit him the hardest, because he failed to protect one of his charges. 

"What about...him?" 

Jean sighed and closed her eyes. It had to be asked, after all. She reached out with her mind, somewhat looking for Douglas on the astronomical chance she could sense him, and looking for the assertive, dark mind of Exodus. After a few minutes, she pulled back and shook her head. "It's like before. I can't sense him at all." 

"Douglas made sure the structure would form an energy barrier like before, so that Exodus would be trapped eternally." Kurt's tail flipped, patting the ground only once before going still. 

Scott lowered his head again. _Douglas...good work, Douglas, wherever you are. _

~*()*~ 

Bobby groaned, rolling his head from side to side. _Geeze, what hit me? Oh yeah...evil guy. Red skin. Yellow glow. French accent._

"Well, Mr. Drake, you gave us quite the scare there for a while." 

Bobby blinked, focusing on the figure above him. Eventually he was able to make out Hank McCoy's furry form, and he smiled. "Hey, the calvary." 

"Nice to see you have your sense of humor back. Now how about you try to sit up?" 

Nodding, Bobby pushed himself up and looked around. He was in the hangar of the X-Jet, along with most of the New Mutants. They were slightly out of character, though. Roberto wasn't being teased by Rahne, Sam wasn't plotting something with Ray, and Jamie was sitting in the corner, sobbing along with two of his clones. No one was smiling. _What's going on? Did...we lose someone? Oh no, Kitty!_ Before McCoy could stop him, he jumped out of his cot and ran down the steps, tumbling a bit as he reached the bottom. 

"Careful there, Robert." 

Bobby coughed as Ororo helped him get his balance. "Right, sorry." 

"Bobby, it's good to see you're alright." 

Bobby turned and found Professor Xavier wheeling up to him. "Hey, uh, did I miss the fight?" He caught the look that passed between the two teachers and frowned. 

"Yes, you could say you did. Scott has told me what you did, though. That was very brave of you, trying to take on Exodus." 

Normally, Bobby would absorb praise, bask in it even. Right now, though, he couldn't. He was too worried. Looking around, he spotted Kurt sitting alone on a rock outcropping, staring out at something. Amara and Jubilee were standing at the base of it, talking quietly. Scott was hanging out with Evan a few feet away, and his defeated posture raised a red flag in Bobby's mind. _Please, please, please, don't tell me we lost Kitty._ He couldn't see Logan anywhere, though he heard some growling nearby that he knew belong to him. He let out a breath of relief when he saw Kitty sitting with Rouge and Jean. Without asking the Professor if he was dismissed, he jogged over and hugged Kitty. "I'm so glad you're safe!" 

"Wha--Bobby?" 

"When I woke up and everyone seemed upset I thought, well, Exodus, and how he was glaring at the two of us-" He paused, noticing the tear streaks on her face. He frowned again. "Hey, are you okay?" Something suddenly clicked in his mind, and he looked around once more. "Kitty...where's Doug?" 

Kitty stared at him a minute, before bursting into tears and leaning on Jean for support. 

Rouge glared at Bobby, until she remembered that he was unconscious and her face softened. Getting up, she took his arm and brought him a few feet away. "Look, Bobby, I hate to be the bearer of bad news..." 

Bobby paled, and he fell back against the rock face. He knew what she was going to say. The funereal atmosphere, Kitty sobbing at the name, everyone looking so depressed. "H-how?" 

"Kurt said the plan was the plant the explosives and, if necessary distract Exodus. We don't know if Exodus got to him, but," she sighed, "he never made it out of the temple." 

"Doug..." He rubbed his arm, bowing his head. 

Rouge patted his arm before heading back to help comfort Kitty. 

Bobby wasn't sure how long he remained standing there before pushing off and heading for Kurt. _He...he must need someone, too._ As he approached, however, he could hear Kurt muttering in German. He wasn't very good at the language, but he had heard these phrases before, just never at a time other than Sunday. _Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name..._ He bowed his head again, crossing his hands, and joined Kurt silently, praying for their fallen comrade. 

~*()*~ 

~*()*~ 

~*()*~ 

Author's Prattle: Guess I should've issued a tissue warning for our younger audiences. Well, there's the big climax. Exodus is dead, the X-Men are safe, but as the saying go: everything has its price. Amazing, this one death scene brought about this entire fic. Those of you who want to call me cruel and evil for killing off a chara you fell in love with, I won't mind. But with all the happy fics out there, I figured there needed to be one that presented the ugly truth of being a super hero: it's not always a happy ending. There is one more chapter after this, the Epilogue. Should be up shortly. 

Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men Evolution, Exodus, or Cipher. They all belong to Marvel. I'm just using them in this creative exploration of possible plots. 

As always, reviews are very, VERY welcome. And I hope you enjoyed this emotional chapter. And be sure to read the Epilogue! Not only will it close up this fic, it gives hints on my next Evo project... 


	18. Epilogue

**Cipher's Elegy**

_By Cypher_

__Epilogue 

It's still hard for me to wrap my mind around the fact that Douglas is dead. Every day I come home and teleport to our--to my room, and expect to see him sitting on his bed, reading. He'd smile at me, ask how my day was, then get engrossed in his tome all over again. That's not how it is. It's been well over a week and I'm still imagining this. And I was just his roommate. I can't even begin to understand what Kitty is going through. There's been a couple nights that Rouge just showed up at my door with a blanket and a pillow because of Kitty's crying or nightmares or something along those lines. 

Of course, I just heard all of that from Rouge. Kitty hasn't even looked at me until just a few days ago. She's still angry at me, still blames me for his death. I sometimes wonder if she wishes I had died instead of him. Scott and Jean assure me she doesn't, but her looks, full of hate and pain, make me seriously doubt their words. Until she started looking at me again I started to worry that I wouldn't be able to keep my promise to Douglas: to take care of Kitty. His tone, when he told me, was very odd, but now I understand. He wanted Kitty to be watched, to be cared for, if he didn't make it. I wonder if he knew he would die. I guess it's just another mystery whose answer lies solely in Douglas' head. 

Bobby's suffering as well, along with Kitty and myself, though I'm not sure why. Scott says Bobby is blaming himself for being unconscious, that he feels if he had been awake that he could've somehow saved Douglas. He doesn't understand that there was nothing any of us could've done. The temple was falling around us, and if Logan hadn't forced us out when he did, more people would've died. I've told Bobby as much, but it hasn't helped. He didn't even cheer up when the Professor announced Bobby would begin training to be a true X-Men, and that for now he would remain the leader of the New Mutants. Maybe he should see a therapist. He certainly wouldn't be the only one around here who needs to. Everyone is upset. Douglas' death hit a nerve we haven't really exposed before. 

While we may be mutants, we're still only mortal. The X-Men have faced the possibility of death, but have never actually had to deal with it. The New Mutants have barely done anything dangerous, and they haven't really faced death before. Now one of our own is gone, killed by a mutant or collapsing stones, and we have to face our own mortality. Jamie's already asked to go home for a week, to spend time with his family, to get over losing an adopted older brother. I've made a promise to take over whatever Douglas was teaching him to help lesson the blow. Scott and Logan, rather than returning home, have taken to spending hours at a time in the Danger Room, training well beyond the Professor's recommendations, and leaving only when they were about to collapse. I think they've taken to that because of the faces of the people at the funeral. It made them feel guilty about failing to protect him. 

My Gott, the funeral. That was a small, painful affair. A handful of us mutants, his family, and a few members of the UN were all that showed up. The official story was that Douglas had died saving us from a cave in, sacrificing his safety for the safety of his friends. They were all so proud of him, remarking how kind, generous, and brave he was, even to the end. But I know the truth, and hearing those lies tore me up inside. I so desperately wanted to believe them, but I know I never could. He didn't die a swift death by falling rocks. I've had time to think it over, and I'm fairly certain he died at Exodus' hand. How else could we have managed to escape from the cell and the temple without the demigod trying to stop us? Douglas distracted him, most probably with his complex mind. I haven't told anyone yet, but as I was running through the building, I thought I heard a scream over the explosions. I didn't think of it at the time, but when I got outside and realized Douglas wasn't there, I knew that sound was from him, and it took a lot of willpower not to throw up my lunch. 

After the funeral, I slipped away. I didn't feel like celebrating, even if it was celebrating his life. Instead, I hung back in the church and prayed silently that Douglas' soul was happy in heaven, that he would be rewarded for his sacrifice. It took me by surprise when I found myself crying as I prayed. I had a lot to ask of the Father, though, especially for forgiving me for treating Douglas as I had. I don't know how long I just sat there praying, but eventually I made my way out to the cemetery to say one last good-bye. There wasn't a body there, of course. We couldn't search through the rubble without disrupting the radiation field entrapping Exodus. There was, however, a headstone that Logan had purchased and engraved himself. When I got there, I found I wasn't the only one who wanted to say good-bye in private. 

Kitty was already there, staring at the granite block marking Douglas' grave. She was clutching one of Douglas' journals against her chest, an object she had asked to keep and his parents had consented. Since she hadn't noticed my approach, I stayed out of her line of site and gave her some privacy. There would be time for me to say good-bye when she was finished. I did notice there was another person near the grave as well, a man with white hair and fair skin. His head was bowed at the gravestone as well, and I wondered who he was, since I hadn't seen him at the eulogy. Then he raised his head and stared at me with crimson eyes that I recognized from a photograph Douglas kept on his dresser. This man was Jonah, the man Douglas had revered so highly, had talked about as the first person to explain his mutation. I tired to speak to him, to ask him about Douglas' past, but he simply turned and walked off, literally vanishing before my eyes. Yet another person suffering because of Douglas' death. 

It's been nearly two weeks since his death, and tomorrow Douglas' parents are sending some people to get his stuff. All of us at the Institute, even Kitty, have gone through his part of the room and packed everything into boxes. There are a few items we're going to ask to keep. Bobby found a book that Douglas had used to explain his own personal computer code. Kitty discovered a picture that had been taken on one of their dates, a frame and everything; an anniversary gift. I remember Douglas showing it to me. And what am I going to ask for? His Bible. It's not like the Bible everyone knows, it's literally his Bible. His beliefs, his explanations, his theories, his reasons, his theology. I never asked him about it, and I feel like I owe him that at least. It's one way to get to know him even though he's gone. There was also a 'How To' book explaining certain games, and I'm going to ask for that as well. Jamie's not here to claim it, so I'm going to do it for him because I know the two of them enjoyed looking through it from time to time. Even though Douglas is gone, he'll live in these little mementos. 

After his stuff is picked up, Logan and Roberto are going to move out his furniture, making this my room once more. It's funny, I didn't want his stuff, I didn't want him, in my room for so long, and now that I'm finally getting rid of it all, I'm regretting that it has to go. I asked Scott if I could keep the furniture, or at least the bed, but he said the Professor would say no, so I gave up the battle. But it is awkward, a part of my life that I didn't want is leaving and I'm missing it before it's even out the door. 

Or maybe I'm missing him. Wait, what maybe? I am missing him. I only hope that one day things will return to normal. That I can wake up without feeling guilty for everything I did to him. That Kitty will make it through a day without crying because something reminds her of her late boyfriend. That we can go back to being X-Men without the realization that this battle could be our last haunting us. That we can eventually come to terms with losing our friend and colleague, and not look upon it with just sorrow, but remember the good times as well. And I hope to all that is holy that this nightmare, the evil and sacrifice that we've suffered, will never, ever happen again. 

~*()*~ 

~*()*~ 

~*()*~ 

Author's Prattle: Amen, Kurt, amen. That's it! Yep, I mean it. Cipher's Elegy is over and done with! No more chapters! No more updates! We are done and done! And I mean done. Okay, enough bad puns. I hope you enjoyed this final chapter. It took me a while to work it out (and two drafts, a rarity) before I got the tone juuuuuust right. And I did! My beta loved it! I hope you did too! And if any of you are feeling ominous by Kurt's last paragraph...you should. For I have plans, great, horrible, evil plans that many people dread and anticipate greatly. What does this mean? Well...if you read the ominous feeling correctly, you know. For those of you who didn't? I'll give you a clue: is death REALLY the end? 

Disclaimer. I dont own X-Men Evolution, Exodus, or Cipher. They all belong to Marvel. I'm just using the characters in an exercise of creativity. Don't sue, as I just wiped my bank account with this semester's tuition. 

Until my next fic! It will be out soon...and shouldn't be as long as this one. Reviews are welcome, and thanks for reading! 


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